When the Oklahoma City Thunder hit the reset button in the summer of 2019, moving on from Russell Westbrook and Paul George, they didn’t just blow it up-they set the blueprint. In return, they landed a rising star in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and a mountain of draft capital that’s still paying dividends. That move didn’t just reshape the Thunder-it redefined what a successful teardown could look like in the modern NBA.
Since then, though, no team has come close to matching that kind of return. Not Utah, who sent Donovan Mitchell to Cleveland in 2022 and got back three unprotected first-rounders and a couple of swaps.
And certainly not Dallas, who stunned everyone last year by trading Luka Dončić to the Lakers and walking away with just a single first-round pick. That kind of light return would’ve been unthinkable in the wake of the Thunder’s haul.
Now, as the 2026 trade deadline looms, the Milwaukee Bucks find themselves in a similarly pivotal moment-only this time, the conditions are far less favorable. With Giannis Antetokounmpo potentially on the move, the Bucks are staring down a rebuild scenario that’s far more complicated than what OKC faced seven years ago.
Here’s the core issue: Milwaukee doesn’t control its own future. Literally.
Thanks to the 2023 trade that brought Damian Lillard to town, the Bucks owe the rights to their next five first-round picks to the Portland Trail Blazers. That’s not just a hurdle-it’s a full-on roadblock for any team looking to bottom out and build through the draft.
During a recent episode of the Hoop Collective Podcast, ESPN’s Tim MacMahon laid it out plainly: “The Thunder also had their own picks for the next several years, which the Bucks do not. That’s a drastic, drastic difference.”
And he’s right. When Sam Presti pulled the trigger on the Westbrook and George trades, he did so with full control of OKC’s draft future. That flexibility allowed the Thunder to tank on their own terms, target the draft classes they liked, and ultimately land cornerstone pieces like Chet Holmgren (No. 2 overall in 2022) and, indirectly, Alex Caruso-who came to OKC via a trade involving Josh Giddey, the No. 6 pick in 2021.
Milwaukee, on the other hand, is boxed in. Even if they do manage to extract a strong package for Giannis-say, future picks from a team like Golden State during the post-Steph Curry era-those assets alone won’t be enough to drive a full-scale rebuild. Without the ability to tank effectively (because losing just hands Portland a better pick), the Bucks are caught in a limbo that’s tough to navigate.
This isn’t to say Milwaukee can’t come out of a Giannis trade in decent shape. There’s still value to be had, especially if they target young talent or picks from aging contenders.
But replicating what the Thunder did? That’s a tall order without control of your own draft board.
What Presti pulled off in OKC was more than just asset accumulation-it was long-term vision paired with execution. And while the Bucks may still have a few cards to play, they’re starting the game with a much weaker hand.