The Giannis Antetokounmpo saga is moving fast, and a new trade framework suggests Milwaukee does not have to walk away empty-handed.
The Milwaukee Bucks finished the 2025-26 season with a 32-50 record, their worst in years. ESPN’s Shams Charania has confirmed the Bucks are “open for business on trade calls and offers.”
Bucks to Let Giannis Antetokounmpo Walk to Acquire Ja Morant?
The two-time MVP averaged 27.6 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 5.4 assists across just 36 games this season before the Bucks decided enough was enough. With draft night approaching and co-owner Jimmy Haslam reportedly wanting a resolution before then, the trade market is heating up by the day.
Heat receive: Giannis AntetokounmpoÂ
Bucks receive: Ja Morant, Kel’el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Nikola Jovic, No. 13 pick, 2031 1st, 2033 1st
Grizzlies receive: Tyler Herro
NBA analyst Evan Sidery has proposed a three-team trade framework that adds a twist to the whole situation. It is worth stressing that this is Sidery’s prediction only, and the deal is far from confirmed or guaranteed to unfold this way. But the framework itself is worth breaking down, because it makes sense on paper for everyone involved.
A potential three-team trade framework featuring both Giannis Antetokounmpo and Ja Morant:
Heat: Giannis
Bucks: Ja, Kel’el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Nikola Jovic, No. 13 pick, 2031 1st, 2033 1st
Grizzlies: Tyler Herro
Morant would reunite with former head coach Taylor Jenkins. pic.twitter.com/5W1hRK4WnB
— Evan Sidery (@esidery) June 6, 2026
Under Sidery’s scenario, the Heat land the superstar they have been chasing for months. Miami Herald reporter Barry Jackson made clear the Heat’s interest is every bit as strong as it was before the trade deadline, and that, aside from Bam Adebayo, no player has been deemed off-limits in their pursuit of Antetokounmpo.
Losing Tyler Herro hurts, but if the prize is a two-time MVP, Pat Riley’s front office will not hesitate to pull the trigger.
Memphis, meanwhile, picks up Herro as a high-level scoring guard to anchor their rebuild. The Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins in March 2025 with nine games left in the regular season despite a 44-29 record, a decision that stunned the basketball world.
Jenkins has since landed in Milwaukee as the Bucks’ new head coach. That connection is exactly what makes the Morant piece of this deal so fascinating.
For Milwaukee, the return would be significant. Morant is a two-time All-Star, averaging 22.4 points, 7.4 assists, and 4.6 rebounds.
The package around him, including Kel’el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Nikola Jovic, the No. 13 pick, and two future first-rounders in 2031 and 2033, gives the Bucks real assets to build around rather than simply handing over their franchise player for a lottery ticket.
Again, this is Sidery’s predicted framework and not a confirmed deal. The trade market for Antetokounmpo is still wide open, with the Heat, Warriors, and Trail Blazers all circling.
But if Milwaukee is serious about getting something meaningful back while the window exists to do so, a scenario like this one is exactly the kind of creative solution the front office should be exploring before draft night arrives.
