Toronto Raptors Get Shocking Boost In Giannis Antetokounmpo Sweepstakes

It's happened before... Could it happen again? The Toronto Raptors have made a bold move in the past, trading for Kawhi Leonard, that led them to an NBA title. Could they be on the precipice of pulling it off again with Giannis Antetokounmpo?

A shocking shift in the betting odds at sportsbetting.ag has seen the Raptors go from 25-1 odds at landing the Greek Freak, to just 2-1 right now, per Ryan Wolstat. That is a massive shift, and bookmakers don't move a line that much without some intel.

In addition, beat writer Doug Smith writes in the Toronto Star that there is definitely mutual interest:

I do know there is mutual interest between Antetokounmpo and the Raptors. The wild card is the cost.
But I also think the Raptors are uniquely placed to make an attractive offer that won’t ruin their franchise or roster. I would make the case that a logjam at the wings makes them deep enough that if they had to pay even two out of Gradey Dick, Ochai Agbaji, Ja’Kobe Walter, RJ Barrett, Jonathan Mogbo would still leave enough to fill out a pretty good team with promising young players still developing.

In addition to that slew of names that Smith mentions, at the top of the roster, the Raptors also have stars Scottie Barnes, Brandon Ingram and Immanuel Quickley to surround Antetokounmpo with. Maybe one of them has to go in a deal, but clearly, with a deep roster, and all of their first-rounders, Toronto has the assets to offer Milwaukee, plus plenty of talent to field a strong enough team around Giannis to be considered a serious contender if such a move came to pass.

Antetokounmpo is reportedly deciding this summer if he is ready to ask for a trade from the Milwaukee Bucks, who will be without Damian Lillard next season, and have very little hope of being a title contender.

Raptors president Masai Ujiri and Giannis are forever linked. "Masai helped me and my family during the years that I've been in the league," Antetokounmpo has said. Both families are of Nigerian descent, and Ujiri helped the Antetokounmpo family emigrate from Nigeria to Greece. Ujiri tried valiantly to draft Giannis in the 2013 NBA Draft for the Raptors, but he wasn't able to make the necessary trade to move up in the first round. He went 15th to the Bucks.

The connections are there, and it would be a sort of full-circle moment if Masai and the Raptors were to finally bring him to Toronto.

Giannis, one of the greatest players in league history, is a two-time NBA MVP, and a Finals MVP with a championship ring from 2021.