The Giannis Antetokounmpo blockbuster has not exactly delivered a clean start for anybody involved, but the early returns are already making one team look like the clear beneficiary: Portland.
Milwaukee is sitting at 1-7, right where plenty of people expected them to land after the trade. Miami, after going all-in to land Giannis, is only 3-6. So while both teams are dealing with the fallout, the Trail Blazers - not part of the deal at all - are the ones positioned to cash in down the line.
That’s because Portland still has its hands on Milwaukee’s future. The Blazers hold first-round pick swap rights with the Bucks in 2028 and 2030, and they control Milwaukee’s 2029 first. The setup is messier than that, with a web of swap obligations involving other teams, but the bottom line is simple: if the Bucks keep stumbling, Portland stands to benefit.
And right now, Milwaukee is stumbling hard. The Bucks are tied for the worst record in the NBA, and there isn’t much relief coming through the draft either, since New Orleans controls their selection. They have no real reason to tank, but the losses keep stacking up anyway.
That’s why Portland has every reason to hope this rough patch lasts a while. The longer Milwaukee stays buried, the more likely those pick assets turn into something meaningful for the Blazers. It’s the kind of payoff that can come from a trade tree stretching back years, and it all traces back to the Damian Lillard deal.
For Milwaukee, the situation is ugly now, but not necessarily hopeless. The Bucks are projected to have cap space next summer, helped by veteran contracts like Kyle Kuzma and Caris LeVert coming off the books. They also still have a large trade exception from the Miami deal that was left unused last summer.
On top of that, the front office has begun adding back draft capital through other moves, including the Miami trade and another deal with Detroit that has flown a bit under the radar. There’s also some young talent in the building, with Brayden Burries and Nate Ament already described as growing rapidly, plus Taylor Jenkins in place as head coach.
No one is calling this a fast track back to the NBA Finals. But Milwaukee does have a path to steady itself if the pieces come together. The problem is that the Blazers may be waiting on the other side of all this, ready to benefit if the Bucks keep sinking.
In Other News...
Doc Rivers Gets Blunt About The Challenge Of Coaching Giannis
The Bucks have spent plenty of this season trying to steady themselves after the midyear coaching change that sent Adrian Griffin out and brought Doc Rivers in. Even with a strong 30-13 start already on the books, the transition put a spotlight on how much Milwaukee still revolves around Giannis Antetokounmpo, the two-time MVP whose role has been central since the 2021 championship run and whose support helped smooth the move to Rivers after Griffin was dismissed.
Rivers recently talked on a podcast about the challenge of coaching Antetokounmpo, pointing to the way his playing style can complicate execution. It is the kind of honest assessment that tells you the Bucks are still working through the details of how to maximize one of the leagues most unique stars, even as the expectations in Milwaukee remain tied to contention and the pressure to get the fit right only grows. [Read more 🡒]
Doc Rivers Just Reopened A Bucks Giannis Wound Fans Havent Forgotten
Doc Rivers has a way of stirring up old Bucks conversations whenever he talks about his time with Giannis Antetokounmpo, and his latest comments did exactly that. Rivers revisited what it was like coaching the two-time MVP in Milwaukee and touched on the trade speculation that hovered around the franchise during his tenure, a subject that still lands with force for a fan base that remembers how tense those months felt.
Rivers said Antetokounmpo wanted to be traded, but preferred the Bucks management to be the side that initiated it rather than asking out himself, a detail that only deepens the intrigue around how close things may have come to a breaking point. He also offered his coaching view of Giannis game and the areas he believed still needed work, leaving the broader question of what all of that meant for Milwaukees future hanging in the air. [Read more 🡒]
Bucks May Be Reaching A Breaking Point With Kyle Kuzma
The Bucks have been leaning harder into rookie forward Nate Ament lately, and the early returns have given the coaching staff something to think about. Ament has shown enough promise to keep earning more minutes, which matters for a team that has been searching for more reliable production as the rotation continues to take shape.
Taylor Jenkins has already shown he is willing to make tough calls when performance slips, including benching Ryan Rollins earlier this year. With Kyle Kuzmas offensive output trending down, Milwaukee could be approaching a point where the veterans role is reduced even further, especially if Jenkins continues to open the door for rookies like Ament and Brayden Burries to take on bigger responsibilities. [Read more 🡒]