Milwaukee Bucks co-owner Jimmy Haslam explained why long-time franchise superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo was traded to the Miami Heat.
After spending the first 13 seasons of his NBA career in Milwaukee, the Bucks traded Antetokounmpo to the Heat for a package of young players and draft picks in what was a franchise-altering move for a team that missed the playoffs this season for the first time in a decade.
The trade was not shocking, as there were plenty of rumors that Antetokounmpo would be dealt all of last year. But the Bucks finally pulled the trigger on the deal, and now we know why.
Jimmy Haslam Explains Giannis Antetokounmpo Trade
Speaking to the media at the Cleveland Browns training camp on July 31, Haslam — a co-owner of the Bucks and the owner of the Browns, who recently traded their former franchise player in EDGE Myles Garrett — explained why Milwaukee traded Antetokounmpo.
According to Haslam, the Bucks decided to go younger, and although they would have ideally loved to have kept Antetokounmpo, they ultimately felt like they had to trade him to replenish their team’s roster and draft pick stash.
“So, my dad (Jim) is 95 ½ (years old) but he still follows every sports move we make, and he called me up after we traded Giannis. He goes, ‘Do you know that in the last month you’ve traded Myles Garrett and Giannis?’ And I said, ‘Yes, sir, I know that,’” Haslam said (via the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel).
“Listen, it’s all about what you get, OK? And Giannis is a generational player, won a championship, but we felt the need to get younger. He was the best asset we had. We had mortgaged our future going forward (with trades for Jrue Holiday and Damian Lillard) and I think we got four really good players and we got two draft picks; No. 1 draft picks, a couple swaps and a second. Time will tell. We’ve got to use those picks wisely, just like we have to do with the Myles trade. But, cautious optimism.”
Rebuilding More Difficult in NBA Than NFL, Says Haslam
According to Haslam, it’s more difficult to rebuild in the NBA than in the NFL.
“Although, you gotta be realistic, rebuilding is no fun. I think it’s actually harder to rebuild in the NBA than I do the NFL, but we’ll see,” Haslam said.
The good news for Haslam and the Bucks is that they got back a nice package of players and picks for Antetokounmpo. Yes, none of the players that Milwaukee got back are as good as Antetokounmpo is, and it’s unlikely that any of them will be. Still, they got back a nice variety of players and picks.
In exchange for Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis Jr., the Heat sent the Bucks Tyler Herro, Kel’el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kasparas Jakučionis, Nate Ament, two future first-round picks, one pick swap, and one second-round pick. Given that Antetokounmpo is in the final season of his contract, it was the best that Milwaukee could do.
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