The Milwaukee Bucks must be running out of time to keep Giannis Antetokounmpo happy.
But maybe they have one opportunity left: Trae Young.
Young and the Atlanta Hawks appear to be on the outs, and a trade could be forthcoming. The Bucks could throw their hat into the mix.
ESPN's Zach Kram came up with an idea of a trade that would get Young to Milwaukee. He projects that the return would be Kyle Kuzma, Bobby Portis, Gary Harris and a 2031 first-round pick.
"The Antetokounmpo-Damian Lillard pairing didn't work out for Milwaukee, but maybe a different small, offense-oriented lead guard will mesh better with the two-time MVP," Kram writes. "The Bucks are a potential Young suitor because they're desperate to continue adding around Antetokounmpo, rather than trading him, and they have the big role player salaries to match."
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Maybe the main problem here is that the players Atlanta gets back wouldn't be super helpful to their current roster construction.
"This deal wouldn't help Atlanta much in the present, except to bolster a shallow frontcourt," Kram writes. "But the key piece in this potential return for Young -- and for taking on the remaining years of Kuzma's and Portis's deals -- is Milwaukee's lone tradeable first-round pick, which could be extremely lucrative. In the 2030-31 season, Antetokounmpo will be 36."
Reports on Monday indicated maybe the Wizards are the front-runner for Young, which would be a fascinating pairing for different reasons.
But Trae and Giannis together? That might just be compelling enough for Milwaukee to pull the trigger here on getting something done.
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