NBA Trade Rumors: Raptors Finally Land Giannis Antetokounmpo in Proposed Blockbuster

Masai Ujiri and the Toronto Raptors are not a team that wants to go long without being back in a competitive window. So after trudging along with their second straight 30-win or less season, they're poised to take a big step back into contention. The trade and subsequent signing of Brandon Ingram is a sure sign of that desire.

But could they take a monstrous step this summer right back into title contention? Would landing Giannis Antetokounmpo get them to that point?

Ujiri and the Raptors have long been tied to the Greek Freak, a player with African ties who has had a long-standing relationship with the Raptors president. Masai helped Antetokounmpo's Nigerian parents secure Greek citizenship, and he tried to draft Giannis back in 2013.

Could the Raptors finally land Giannis Antetokounmpo after years of courting?

The Raptors were thought to be a prime contender to land Antetokounmpo if he had hit free agency in 2021.

Now, after all this time, could Masai's dream finally come to fruition? Giannis and the Milwaukee Bucks were unceremoniously dumped from the playoffs in the first round once again, and he could ask for a trade this summer.

If so, the Raptors might be able to land the two-time MVP with a deal that looks like this, proposed by Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report.

Toronto Raptors receive:

Giannis Antetokounmpo
Pat Connaughton

Milwaukee Bucks receive:

Brandon Ingram
RJ Barrett
2025 first-round pick (top-two-protected)
2027 first-round pick
2029 first-round pick
2031 first-round pick

The Raptors would get to pair Giannis with another star in Scottie Barnes, the rising Immanuel Quickley and Gradey Dick plus a solid big man in the middle of Jakob Poeltl.

Though his two MVP awards were back in 2019 and 2020, Giannis, 30, is still at an MVP level, having averaged 30.4 points, 11.9 rebounds, 6.5 assists and 1.2 blocks this past season. As Buckley writes, "It doesn't take a ton of imagination to picture a Giannis-led Toronto team becoming a significant factor in the Eastern Conference."

The one thing that might not fly for Masai in this hypothetical deal is giving up four first-rounders. That's not something he's very quick to do.

The Bucks get themselves not one, but two 20-point per game scorers in this proposed blockbuster to keep themselves in the playoff mix, plus those four elite first-round picks. The team is in a heap of trouble going into next year without a deal like this, with Damian Lillard out for all of 2025-26 with a torn Achilles, and Brook Lopez entering the summer as a free agent.