The Bucks‘ decision on which trade offer to accept for Giannis Antetokounmpo came down to the Heat‘s and Celtics‘ proposals in large part because those were two teams with whom the star forward was willing to sign a contract extension. Multiples sources with knowledge of the situation tell Ramona Shelburne and Jamal Collier of ESPN that the Bucks received “at least four” strong bids for Antetokounmpo that “died on the vine” because he wouldn’t have committed to a long-term deal with the team.
After getting Miami’s and Boston’s final offers for Antetokounmpo on Sunday, the Bucks’ front office debated them on Monday, with one team source telling ESPN that there were “spirited debates” over which path the team should take and that not everyone in the room shared the same opinion.
However, general manager Jon Horst had always liked the concept of the Heat’s proposal, which was one of two he brought to Bucks ownership at the deadline, according to Shelburne and Collier. It got a little stronger this offseason since Miami had the ability to include the No. 13 overall pick, which wasn’t possible in February. Boston, meanwhile, wasn’t willing to include young players like Hugo Gonzalez and Baylor Scheierman in its offer, which helped tip the scales toward Miami.
Here are a few more trade-related notes and rumors from around the league:
- Following up on a report that suggested Kawhi Leonard might be open to contract extensions with his former teams – San Antonio and Toronto – if he were to be traded to either club, Michael Grange of Sportsnet says the Rockets could be another club on that list. However, there’s no consensus around the league about whether or not he’ll be available this summer, according to Grange, who hears from one source that the Clippers absolutely won’t trade the star forward but says others believe the two sides are ready to part ways.
- Sources who have spoken to Marc Stein and Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link) say that the Pelicans still aren’t shopping either Trey Murphy III and Herbert Jones and that it would be inaccurate to characterize them as doing more than listening to offers. Although New Orleans did have interest in acquiring a pick in the back half of Tuesday’s lottery, the team wouldn’t have traded Murphy or Jones straight up for one of those selections, Stein and Fischer say, without having received additional assets.
- According to Stein and Fischer, some rival teams believe that the Bucks‘ decision to draft Brayden Burries 10th overall on Tuesday will make Milwaukee more willing to listen to inquiries on Tyler Herro, who is joining the Bucks in the Antetokounmpo blockbuster.
