The odds of Giannis Antetokounmpo getting traded to the Charlotte Hornets this offseason are very, very low.
The Milwaukee Bucks are expected to trade superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo this offseason and he's been linked to the Charlotte Hornets since many people around the NBA believe the Hornets are one piece away from being a championship contender.
Charlotte has a talented core of LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller and Kon Knueppel. Adding Antetokounmpo to the group would certainly make the Hornets dangerous.
However, NBA analyst Jonathan DeLong of At The Hive doesn't expect Charlotte to pursue a trade for Antetokounmpo this summer.
"I don’t think he’s the kind of player the Hornets would be targeting," DeLong wrote. "He’s inarguably the best player that’s a reasonable bet to hit the market, but he carries some risk. He’ll turn 32 in the upcoming season, and hasn’t exactly been an ironman in recent years. While he’s played the majority of the Bucks’ games, he’s only topped 70 games once in the last seven years, and last year was his most injury plagued yet. On top of that, he could opt out of his contract at the end of next season, leaving the Hornets to figure out how to re-sign him with potential questions about age and longevity.
"Even with those concerns, Giannis is going to cost a haul. The Hornets would have to unload most if not all of the draft assets they’ve acquired, and it’d probably be hard to land Giannis without floating one of the young big three in trade offers. With all that in mind, the cost and risk of Giannis outweigh the definite benefits he would bring."
Antetokounmpo will make $58.5 million next season. He has a player option worth $62.8 million for the 2027-28 season. The forward is eligible to sign a four-year, $275 million extension with the Bucks on October 1. If he declines the extension, Antetokounmpo will be traded, according to Milwaukee co-owner Wes Edens.
Antetokounmpo holds career averages of 24.1 points, 9.9 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.2 blocks per game. It will be fascinating to see where he's playing next season.
While it would be fun to see Antetokounmpo playing alongside Ball, the odds of Antetokounmpo getting traded to the Hornets this offseason are very, very low.
Hornets Roundtable also offers a fan community and message board. We’d love to have you join us to talk all things Hornets. Click the “Join” button at the top of the page to join our community for free.