Hawks' Trae Young trade pitch for Giannis Antetokounmpo has 1 thing no one else in NBA does

Billy Heyen

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Hawks' Trae Young trade pitch for Giannis Antetokounmpo has 1 thing no one else in NBA does image

The Atlanta Hawks have one thing going for them in a Giannis Antetokounmpo potential trade that no other team in the NBA does.

They have Milwaukee Bucks draft picks on their ledger.

"The Hawks have the unique ability to help Milwaukee regain its own picks as part of a post-Giannis rebuild," ESPN's Kevin Pelton writes. "Technically, Atlanta only controls shares of picks from the Bucks and New Orleans Pelicans, who got them in the Jrue Holiday trade five years ago. However, the better of their two picks in 2026 could very well land in the top five and even the lesser of their 2027 selections should be solid."

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That makes the Hawks an intriguing trade partner for Milwaukee, and Pelton proposed a blockbuster deal that could get it done if Giannis does indeed want out.

The proposal from ESPN:

  • Hawks get:
    • Giannis Antetokounmpo
    • Cole Anthony
  • Bucks get:
    • Trae Young
    • Zaccharie Risacher
    • 2026 first-round pick (better of Pelicans and Bucks)
    • 2027 first-round pick (top-four protected, worse of Pelicans and Bucks)
    • 2029 first-round pick (top-four protected 2029 to 2031, unprotected in 2032 if not conveyed)
    • 2031 first-round pick (top-four protected in 2031 if eligible, otherwise unprotected in 2032)

Giving up Young and Risacher is a lot, in addition to the picks, but you only get one chance to acquire a player like Giannis.

"Milwaukee would surely ask for Wisconsin native Jalen Johnson in trade talks, but I would hold the line there if I'm the Hawks," Pelton writes. "As is, they're giving up a former No. 1 pick and a reasonable shot at another one in 2026, a worthy risk given the potential for Atlanta to become the East favorite with this trade. Sending out a budding star in Johnson, whose five-year, $150 million extension now looks like a bargain, for just two guaranteed years of Antetokounmpo in a non-glamour market would be too much to ask."

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Pelton adds that he thinks the Bucks would then logically try to flip Young on to a third team in another trade.

It'd certainly be a lot of big names and a lot of moving parts, which will likely be the case no matter where Antetokounmpo ends up being traded (if he ends up being traded).

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Staff Writer