NBA Rumors: 4 Surprising Teams Could Join the Bidding for Giannis Antetokounmpo

The NBA summer season will officially kick into high gear the moment Giannis Antetokoumpo becomes an official candidate to be traded. Rumors are already circulating that he might be willing to leave Milwaukee, and with that, the names of the most obvious teams as destinations have already been thrown around: the Miami Heat, the Houston Rockets, the San Antonio Spurs, and even the Toronto Raptors (there is a long-standing connection between Masai Ujiri and his family).

But expert Marc Stein now adds that we should expect some surprise candidates to join the frenzy in trying to attract the Greek Freak to their city. Surprise teams are quietly lining up to submit offers for the 30-year-old player if he becomes available for trade... without waiting to see if they appear on the expected list of preferred destinations that Antetokounmpo is expected to provide if it actually comes to that. Dan Favale from Bleacher Report suggests that the following teams should be on that list: Detroit Pistons, Memphis Grizzlies, Philadelphia 76ers, and Portland Trail Blazers.

The Sixers are an interesting team to consider. As genuine contenders over recent years, they would never be seen as a dark horse candidate, except for their implosion last season, where they plummeted to 24-68, their worst record in a decade. But with Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and Paul George in top form, they cannot be ruled out for the upcoming season. Imagine adding Antetokounmpo to that mix. According to Favale, they would have to offer up this year's third draft pick and Jared McCain, to start.

The other options

The Pistons finally made a leap this past season, becoming a solid playoff team for the first time in six years as their rebuild is finally bearing fruit. Adding Giannis to Cade Cunningham would be quite a dynamic duo and would elevate the Pistons to the category of legitimate contenders. There are some great young talents in Motor City that they could offer the Bucks to secure something, like Jaden Ivey, Ausar Thompson, or Jalen Duren.

The Grizzlies would come into play if the Bucks were "looking for packages centered around key pieces to build their future," writes Favale. That would be Ja Morant or Jaren Jackson Jr. Either way, it would be a monumental move for Memphis. The Blazers seem like a much less likely option, as they wouldn't be contenders, not even with Giannis, and that seems to be their number one priority for any new destination.

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