All eyes are now on the postseason, but the coming offseason is likewise a worthwhile thing to monitor, even at this early juncture. For the Philadelphia 76ers, they will be shifting their focus on the 10 impending free agents on their roster. And for the other title aspirants, they will be looking into the grand thought piece that is trading for Giannis Antetokounmpo.
The Giannis sweepstakes is expected to dominate newsstands this offseason, and rightfully so. But having said that, the 76ers have an indirect interest in what the bidding war ends up looking like. As such, they are probably not going to like the latest development which points to his camp not wanting him to get sent to the West Coast.
What's in the West Coast? Well, the LA teams and the Warriors, the latter of which has repeatedly been mentioned as a frontrunner for Antetokounmpo. If this rumor holds water, that means that it is more likely for the Bucks to keep Giannis in the Eastern Conference and send him to one of the teams rumored to be interested in striking a blockbuster deal. to acquire the two-time league MVP.
The 76ers are not going to like this Giannis trade rumor
Just to keep this out of the way, the 76ers are not going to be trading for the Greek Freak themselves. They have made it abundantly clear that they are never going to be willing to mortgage their pieces for the future to yield to the Bucks' understandably exorbitant demands for the superstar. That possibility is now passé.
As such, the next best thing they could hope for is for Giannis to move to the West. While the conference is already way too jampacked with top-end talent, Philly's chances of contending will increase if he moves away from the East. Just the prospect of him getting deal to, say, New York, Miami, or Boston should terrify them.
The Heat have already mounted a huge offer which the Bucks flirted with, so that laready makes them a formidable suitor for Giannis. Ditto for the Knicks, which have sufficient ammo in win-now talent to entice Milwaukee if they want to remain competitive. The Celtics are bit more of a long shot, but with their magnificent brain trust, they cannot be ruled out that easily.
All in all, the 76ers better hope that Giannis takes his talents to the West. And to water down this rumor, the Bucks front office still has the final say no matter what happens.
Add us as a preferred source on Google