If a trade is going to happen that will shake the NBA landscape in the near future, it is going to involve Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo. 

Throughout the regular season, Giannis has been the centerpiece of rumors that would send him to a new team for the next stage of his career, though the final destination has been a point of contention. The conventional notion is that Giannis would prefer to wind up in New York City as a member of the Knicks, that way he would be leading a team positioned to challenge for the NBA title. 

While the Knicks– and a new life in the Big Apple– could be attractive options for Antetokounmpo, the Greek sensation could essentially wind up on any team of his choosing. From the Western Conference to the Eastern Conference, General Managers across the league would be scrambling to put together a trade package in order to land Giannis– it’s the type of move that should be a no-brainer for any team looking to win right now. 

Enter: the Detroit Pistons. 

In first place in the East by 2.5 games, the Pistons have been dominant through the first quarter of the season. Detroit holds a 19-5 record, and Cade Cunningham is putting together another All-NBA-caliber campaign with career-highs across the board. Apart from Cunningham, the Pistons have a host of young players that comprise the team’s core, and Detroit has all of its own draft picks moving forward. So, the Pistons have a wealth of assets that would be useful to a team about to enter into a rebuild like the Giannis-less Bucks. 

Where Does Giannis Want To Play?

But where does Giannis actually want to go? That is the biggest question in basketball at the moment. Pistons Roundtable caught up with HOOP Mag NBA Contributor Josh Eberley to better understand the mechanics of a potential deal that would send Giannis to the Motor City. 

“I think without a doubt, Giannis is going to let his preferences be known and the list of teams he will accept will be small,” Antetokounmpo said. “It has been widely reported he wants to be a New York Knick. Though, I don't think that other teams are off the table and to be honest, Antetokounmpo has a pretty decorated history of being indecisive.”

While Antetokounmpo may desire a future in New York City at the moment, it is no guarantee that he will fill that when around the Feb. 5 trade deadline or whenever the Bucks’ are ready to make a deal. But if the Pistons were to be a part of said deal, the Bucks would likely require a large return, one that may include any number of talented young players. 

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How Much Would It Cost For Detroit?

“My sense of it is that Ausar Thompson would have to be involved and then one of Ron Holland or Jaden Ivey, along with an emptying of the picks cabinet, and matching salary, most likely in the form of Tobias Harris,” Eberley said. “If there is a deal on the table, it'll be a steep ask.”

It remains to be seen whether Pistons President of Basketball Operations Trajan Langdon would be willing to part with Ausar Thompson at this stage, but a player of Giannis’ ilk could persuade those feelings. However, even if Thompson is part of a trade package for Antetokounmpo, the Pistons would likely have to include Ivey or Holland as well from a personnel standpoint, making it a truly monster trade. 

But after so many heated battles between the Pistons and the Bucks over the past several years, would Milwaukee even engage in a trade with a Central Division rival? Even this season, Pistons big man Isaiah Stewart had to be separated from Bucks forward Bobby Portis multiple times already. 

“Myles Turner is a Buck,” Eberley said. “No two teams in the NBA have had more bad blood over the last five or so years than the Bucks and Pacers. Do we remember the Andre Drummond and Joel Embiid feud? I don't think it'll be a factor.”

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If the Pistons are able to convince Milwaukee to step to the negotiating table, then perhaps the two sides could work out a deal that is mutually beneficial, one that sends Giannis to Motown for a potentially championship push with Cunningham beside him. So in all actuality, the biggest obstacle in the way of this deal would come from Detroit’s side of the exchange. The Pistons have built their team through long-term moves that allow for Detroit to grow into success together. But now that the Pistons are experiencing rampant success, perhaps it is time for Langdon to flip the switch into win-now mode. 

“I can't speak for Langdon but I do think patience isn't the way here,” Eberley said. “The Eastern Conference is weak, there are no guarantees it'll stay this open and the Pistons have some real momentum. I don't know that an all-in move for Antetokounmpo is the right choice but seizing the moment in some way feels like a must to me.”

As Eberley stated, the East has a lot of parity at the moment, so if the Pistons want to strike when the iron is hot then now may be the time for Langdon to call up the Bucks’ front office to see what it would take to land Giannis in Detroit. 

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