If we are to go by the dictates of the rumor mill, this season was expected to heavily feature the impending bidding war for Giannis Antetokounmpo. However, as it turns out, that is swiftly getting close to being an abandoned ship thanks to the superstar reportedly expressing his clear intent to stay with his current ball club, the Bucks.
The Philadelphia 76ers should be all smiles right now. No, they were not really listed as one of the teams who had bona fide interest in striking a deal for the superstar, nor were they part of the Greek Freak’s reported wishlist when it comes to preferred landing spots.
To cut to the chase, the main reason why this development is a big win for them is that they managed to avoid the grim scenario of him going to another team in the East to create a new superpower in the conference, keeping it a well-balanced race moving forward.
The 76ers indirectly benefit from Giannis Antetokounmpo demolishing all trade rumors
Just a few days back, the Bucks superstar went out and told The Athletic that he will never ask for a trade from Milwaukee, putting an end to all the speculations about him wanting out of the Bucks for q fresh start with another ball club.
While that is not at all a definitive mark of what his future would look like, it only means that the Bucks will never force the issue and trade him due to external pressure. After all, you do not just trade a generational player like him when he himself remains committed to staying with the only franchise he has ever known in the league.
If this holds up, the East should remain a balanced race which the 76ers can conquer at their very peak. After all, there are some teams in the conference which were heavily linked to Antetokounmpo when the rumor mill was raging, and a lot of them were key rivals for Philadelphia.
At some point, the Knicks, Heat, and even the Celtics were rumored to have toyed with the idea of striking a deal for Giannis. Had any of those teams succeeded in landing him, it would have disrupted the wide-open nature of the East at the moment.
Of course, this is nothing more than a win for the 76ers when it comes to their competitive environment. Ultimately, whether they can take advantage of this relative parity in the conference is something they will have to prove, lest this development will be of no practical benefit to them.