With the news from ESPN’s Shams Charania that Giannis Antetokounmpo is set to evaluate his future with the Milwaukee Bucks, the Philadelphia 76ers could be perfectly positioned to get Tyrese Maxey a co-star. Not only would this put an end to the Joel Embiid era, which netted zero conference finals appearances, but it would also allow the Sixers to go all-in on Maxey as their leader—a realization they have needed to come to for a while now.
Maxey has been the best player on the Sixers for years now—the best ability is availability, as they say. Trading for Antetokounmpo would see Philly finally come to the realization that they need to prioritize pairing Maxey with a co-star rather than trying to fill out the roster around him and Embiid.
In this case, that co-star would just happen to be one of the top-five players in the NBA.
A 76ers trade for Giannis would finally put Tyrese Maxey first
The 76ers’ path to trading for Antetokounmpo is pretty straightforward, but it would certainly cost them a pretty penny (and the deal may be a painful pill for Philly fans to swallow).
Here’s what a potential 76ers trade package for Antetokounmpo could look like:
76ers receive: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Gary Trent Jr.
Bucks receive: Paul George, VJ Edgecombe, Quentin Grimes, 2028 first-round pick (via LAC), 2029 first-round swap with LAC, 2030 first-round pick swap, 2031 first-round pick
It hasn’t taken long for 76ers fans to fall in love with rookie VJ Edgecombe, but if Antetokounmpo is the prize, he unfortunately can’t be spared in a potential trade. Milwaukee would almost certainly require that he’s in the deal.
Quentin Grimes is only on a one-year deal, but perhaps he could stick in Milwaukee. He has the power to veto a trade, but if given the chance to be a top dog with the Bucks and earn a potential payday, he may be willing to make the move. (If not, you could swap him out for Justin Edwards and adjust the money.)
The Paul George part of the equation is where things get difficult, as he makes a lot of money, and one of the three firsts included would likely just be for the 76ers to dump him. That said, getting two LA Clippers firsts could be very valuable for the Bucks.
After this hypothetical trade, this is what the 76ers’ rotation could look like:
Tyrese Maxey, Jared McCain, Kelly Oubre Jr., Giannis Antetokounmpo, Joel Embiiid
Kyle Lowry, Justin Edwards, Trendon Watford, Andre Drummond, Adem Bona
That has the chance to be one of the best teams in the East, and it would finally prioritize Maxey as the 76ers’ best player.
He and Antetokounmpo would be one of the top duos in the NBA for years.