Surprise Team Revealed As Legit Contender In Giannis Antetokounmpo Trade Sweepstakes

The Giannis Antetokounmpo trade talks have entered a new era, according to noted NBA insider Ramona Shelburne of ESPN. She says that the performance of the San Antonio Spurs, and in particular, Victor Wembanyama, in this year's playoffs has boosted Giannis's trade value. And it's something that even the Milwaukee Bucks didn't expect.

"This postseason, I think, has completely reframed the trade discussions for Giannis because of how good Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs are."@ramonashelburne thinks there may be more teams interested in Giannis after watching Wemby in the playoffs 👀

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"This postseason, I think, has completely reframed the trade discussions for Giannis because of how good Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs are," Shelburne said on The Rich Eisen Show.

"Every single person watching these playoffs says, 'Oh, we better get Giannis. Oh, maybe we need that guy. I don't know how we're going to compete with the Spurs for the next five or 10 years if we don't have another star like Giannis.'

"So I think (the Bucks) might have lucked into some better offers because there's a lot more teams that have motivation to go and trade for a guy like Giannis Antetokounmpo, to try to compete with the San Antonio Spurs and this looming giant, who is going to dominate the league for the next 10 years."

Surprisingly, Shelburne names the Orlando Magic as a team that could be a major factor in the Giannis talks. They're a team that has made it to the playoffs a few years running now, and seem to be close, but just haven't been able to get over that hump into true contenders. The Greek Freak would obviously solve that.

"They're getting a new coach, they have some great young pieces," says Shelburne.

And that new coach will be Spurs assistant Sean Sweeney. If anybody knows how to deal with Wemby in a potential Finals matchup, it would be a man who's worked with the superstar behind the scenes and during practices for the past three years.

Additionally, having a player like Giannis to coach, with somewhat similar freakish length and talent, would be a fit.

Shelburne then goes on to name the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors as other teams to watch.