Giannis Antetokounpo speculation is reaching critical mass following the Milwaukee Bucks first-round exit at the hands of the Indiana Pacers. That is a natural reaction to where the franchise stands. Not only are the Bucks limited in cap flexibility and trade assets, but Damian Lillard's Achilles injury effectively nukes the team's chances to do anything meaningful in 2025-26.
Though Giannis has not indicated he will request a trade, hypothetical ideas are already cropping up with staggering volume. And given that the Brooklyn Nets are well positioned to define the entire NBA offseason thanks to their cap flexibility, it was only a matter of time before they entered the speculative fracas.
To that end, Bleacher Report's Zach Buckley recently cobbled together a list of Giannis trade packages. And to the surprise of no one, the Nets are among the possible destinations.
Proposed trade has Brooklyn giving up six first-round picks for Giannis
You read that correctly. Buckley's proposal has the Nets shipping out six first-round picks for the two-time MVP. Here are the full details of the package:
Six first-round picks seems like a lot at first glance. But the Nets have up to 13 tradeable first-rounders in their arsenal.
Still, the absence of specification here creates a choose-your-own adventure situation. Brooklyn can trade its own pick this year, then again in 2029, and then again in either 2031 or 2032. It also has selections (and swaps) from the New York Knicks, Dallas Mavericks, Philadelphia 76ers, and Phoenix Suns.
For our purposes, we are going to assume this year's Nets pick will be one of the six, since it lands in the lottery. Beyond that, Brooklyn likely needs to stack the deck with other teams' first-round picks, because in theory, any team that acquires Giannis will get much better. This dilutes the value of the Nets' own draft equity moving forward.
Then again, their next tradeable first after this year is in 2029. This is far enough down the pipeline that Milwaukee could believe Giannis' prime will be over, and that Brooklyn will be forced to navigate another reset.
With all of that said, it's difficult to build a package from the Nets' end that includes fewer draft picks. Nic Claxton is a good player—perhaps the most switchable big in the league—but he's not a cornerstone. Brooklyn doesn't have that type of blue-chip building block on the roster. Even if it includes Cam Johnson, the meat and potatoes of its offer must be assembled around future first-rounders.
Is Giannis worth this much to the Nets?
This is a tricky question. Especially when you consider that Bucks fans will insist this isn't enough. And look, they may have a point. If Milwaukee isn't reacquiring its own picks as part of any Giannis deal, it may prioritize a return that keeps it competitive in the near term. This package doesn't do that, because it's purely built around picks.
The calculus changes if the Nets win the lottery or finish within the top four. Dangling, say, Cooper Flagg in exchange for Giannis makes Brooklyn's overall offer much more compelling, even if it winds up removing some of those additional first-rounders from the table.
Yet, this raises an important question: Is now the time for the Nets to go all-in? General manager Sean Marks has preached patience unless a fortunes-altering player becomes available. Giannis meets that criteria, but Brooklyn would still need to flesh out the bones of a contending roster around him. That isn't easy to do.
Granted, the Nets are slated for more cap space this summer than any other NBA team. This framework uses up some, but not all of it. Brooklyn would still have the ability to carve out anywhere between $40 million and $60 million after the trade, depending on how it handles incumbent free agents such as D'Angelo Russell and Cam Thomas (restricted). The Nets would also still have a bundle of first-round picks leftover to use in other trades.
Getting Giannis before entering the contender's clique would be objectively weird. But it is not malpractice when looking at the other tools Brooklyn would continue to have in its armory. And while this package is aggressive, it's not blasphemous. The Bucks, in fact, are the party more likely to say no. That makes this a good value play for the Nets, but its appeal is somewhat dimmed by all the work Marks and company must do after to capitalize on Giannis' window.
Grade: B
Dan Favale is a Senior NBA Contributor for FanSided and National NBA Writer for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Bluesky (@danfavale), and subscribe to the Hardwood Knocks podcast, co-hosted by Bleacher Report's Grant Hughes.