The Milwaukee Bucks defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder in Las Vegas on Tuesday to win the NBA Cup, but for Milwaukee, the victory symbolized something far more meaningful than $500,000 per player. It was the ultimate signifier that Giannis Antetokounmpo is in Milwaukee to stay, because the Bucks are a winning team and can contend.

Whether or not Milwaukee has any chance against the Boston Celtics is another matter entirely, but the point is, the Bucks franchise has moved well beyond the scary phase it was in to start the year, when things looked so bad that Giannis trade rumors were everywhere.

For weeks, there was significant buzz that the title-hungry Antetokounmpo might request out, possibly to the Golden State Warriors.

All of the sudden, Golden State’s plan to eventually bring in Giannis was falling into their lap. The Warriors had dreamed of acquiring Giannis since parting ways with KD, assuming that a Curry-Giannis pairing would be the next phase of the dynasty.

It never seemed plausible, and then suddenly it was during a short window of time earlier this season.

Now, the window has closed. The next time Giannis will be available to anyone not named the Bucks will be the summer of 2027 at the very earliest. Antetokounmpo has a player option for the 2027-28 season.

By then, Curry will be 39 years old.

Could a Giannis-Curry pairing have been one of the most dominant duos in the history of the NBA. We’ll never know.

Now that the Milwaukee Bucks have fully recovered (as evident by their NBA Cup victory), Giannis will surely remain wearing a Bucks uniform until 2027, when he’ll be faced with a player option for 2027-28.

LeBron James will be 42 years old at that point and probably retired, meaning the Lakers will be desperate to build around a new franchise player.

Yes, Anthony Davis will still be around, but he’ll also have a player option to decide about in 2027.

It’s not difficult to imagine Giannis going in a new direction by then if he still hasn’t won a second title with the Bucks (Damian Lillard will be 36 at that point, by the way).

Even if AD were to opt into the final year of his deal, the Lakers could ostensibly sign Giannis to a massive new deal of his own and have AD-Antetokounmpo be their dominant duo.

Giannis would be attracted to playing in a big market after years in Milwaukee. He’d probably consider joining the Golden State Warriors, but their championship window with Stephen Curry will have passed by then.

The New York Knicks aren’t a plausible destination, either, as they are tied to Jalen Brunson and OG Anunoby money through 2028-29 (Karl-Anthony Towns has a player option in 2027-28, like Giannis and AD).

LeBron’s retirement will leave a gaping void, and Giannis would be one of the few players who could even attempt to fill that void in Hollywood.

Among the potential options they could look into, Bleacher Report floated Sacramento Kings shooting guard Keon Ellis as a top trade target for them.

Ellis has risen through the ranks through his time with the Kings. This season, he’s shooting 40.7% from three, which has been the norm since he entered the NBA.

With Jared McCain out indefinitely, Ellis would be a good fit for the Sixers. He would provide the much-needed shooting they lost during the offseason.

The Kings likely won’t trade Ellis straight-up to the Sixers
Sacramento is in a similar spot as Philadelphia. Although the Kings haven’t started as badly as the Sixers, at 13-14, they haven’t started as well as they would have liked.

It’d be hard to envision them trading Ellis unless they are getting an upgrade for him. It’s hard to see the Sixers trading someone who the Kings would see as an upgrade that is paid along the same money as Ellis.

Now, this scenario would be interesting if the Kings decided to trade Ellis as part of a separate mega deal to a team that would be of little use to him. That would open up the opportunity for a trade.

However, for this to come to fruition would take many moving parts.

The Nuggets clearly need some sort of roster shakeup. They’ve recently experimented with plugging Russell Westbrook into the starting lineup, but more drastic changes are required.

New reports indicate that Denver is at the point where they’re willing to take a risk on a two-time All-Star guard that everyone has steered clear of on the trade market over the last year-plus.

Forbes Sports’ Evan Sidery reported late on Tuesday evening that the Nuggets might be bringing aboard Chicago Bulls shooting guard Zach LaVine.

“The Nuggets are showing significant trade interest in Zach LaVine,” Sidery said.

“Denver would likely send Michael Porter Jr. and Zeke Nnaji to make salaries work with the Bulls.”

“A potential early blockbuster forming in NBA trade season.”

Such a trade would be a huge turning point in the Nuggets’ recent history as a franchise. Mere months ago, Denver viewed Porter Jr. as one of their franchise cornerstones. After selecting Porter Jr. in the lottery of the 2018 draft, the Nuggets won a title with Porter Jr. playing a key role and they gave him a massive new deal.

Now it looks like they are ready to move on from Porter Jr.

LaVine’s $138 million owed over this season and two more seasons is difficult to swallow, but Denver might feel that he’s the guy that Michael Porter Jr. isn’t — a reliable third scoring option behind Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray to solidify the Nuggets’ offensive excellence.

And with the way LaVine has looked recently, the Nuggets might be onto something.

Jokić, Murray, LaVine, and Aaron Gordon is an impressive core, with great depth surrounding it comprised of Westbrook, Christian Braun, and rising assets Peyton Watson and Julian Strawther.

Add in an upgrade to DeAndre Jordan at backup center, and there’s no reason the Nuggets can’t get back to the NBA Finals this year.

“The Golden State Warriors are reportedly active in trade discussions as they look to maximize their chances of contending for a championship during All-NBA point guard Stephen Curry’s prime,” Newsweek’s Ricardo Klein wrote Sunday.

“Recent reports suggest a potential trade with the Brooklyn Nets to acquire guard Dennis Schröder and a second-round draft pick in exchange for De’Anthony Melton and three second-round picks.”

“However, a more ambitious trade scenario could completely reshape the Warriors’ title aspirations: a blockbuster deal to bring Phoenix Suns All-NBA power forward Kevin Durant back to the Bay Area.”

“This hypothetical trade would reunite Durant with Curry, forming a duo that once led Golden State to two consecutive NBA titles in the late 2010s.”

“Despite being several years removed from their dominant run, both players remain among the league’s elite.”

“Durant, despite dealing with injuries this season, has been as productive as ever when on the court, averaging 26.1 points, 6.4 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 1.4 blocks per game.”

“He is also shooting 53 percent from the field and a blistering 44 percent from three in 14 appearances.”

“For the Warriors, Durant’s addition would provide an undeniable upgrade to their roster. Pairing him with Curry—alongside key contributors such as Draymond Green—would instantly make Golden State a frontrunner in the Western Conference.”

“While the proposed trade would require the Warriors to part with valuable assets, this scenario keeps players like Buddy Hield, Brandin Podziemski, and Trayce Jackson-Davis in the fold, ensuring they retain depth and flexibility.”

The Warriors were virtually unbeatable when Durant was a member of the organization.

The slender, 6-foot-11 offensive mastermind, who has a knack for adjusting on the fly, guided the Warriors to two championships during his three-year stint with the franchise.

If the Texas product had avoided a devastating Achilles injury during the 2019 postseason, there’s a good chance the Warriors would have secured three consecutive NBA titles.

While it’s been a few years since Durant has played alongside Curry and Green, it’s reasonable to assume the trio would have minimal issues rekindling the chemistry that set them apart from other organizations.

However, with the Suns expecting to compete for a championship, Durant will likely stay put this season.

The Nuggets are seeing if they can’t pry coveted wing Cam Johnson away from the Nets for Porter Jr., along with another of Brooklyn’s wings to make the money match Porter’s big contract.

“The Nuggets and Nets have held exploratory talks around a potential trade featuring Michael Porter Jr. for Cam Johnson,” Sidery said.

“Denver would also be trying to acquire another wing on Brooklyn’s roster in the same deal: Dorian Finney-Smith or Bojan Bogdanovic.”

Johnson is being sought after by the Golden State Warriors, among other Western Conference contenders, so if the Nuggets were able to sneak in and snag Johnson, it would be a double-win.

Finney-Smith has been mentioned as a favorite target of the Los Angeles Lakers.

Both the Lakers and Warriors are looking on and hoping with all their might that this Nuggets-Nets deal doesn’t go anywhere.

Porter Jr. is owed approximately $116 million over the next three seasons (including the current season), which represents around 25 percent of the league cap per year.

Unless the Nets think Porter Jr. is better than virtually everyone else thinks he is, this deal is unlikely to get done.