Owners of pro sports teams meddling in roster construction is nothing new. Whether for the better or worse of his franchises, Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam has tampered plenty, and his latest doings cross over to the NBA.
Haslam, a co-owner of the Milwaukee Bucks since 2023, reportedly had his fingerprints on the deal that sent superstar NBA player Giannis Antetokounmpo to the Miami Heat, and one NFL analyst doesn’t believe it’s for the best.
Mike Florio Criticizes Jimmy Haslam’s Role in Giannis Antetokounmpo Trade
Mike Florio, speaking on his show “Pro Football Talk,” ripped Haslam, saying, “He’s got no education, skills, or experience. I guess you could argue that his experience over the last 14 years with the Browns kind of correlates to the NBA.”
Florio continued, “This is a strange reality for sports fans to have to accept the fact that someone who showed up with a giant bag of cash can insinuate himself or herself into decisions they shouldn’t be making, that they don’t have the chops to make.”
Florio has a point, but it may be flawed.
While there is certainly an argument for Haslam not to be involved in basketball roster decisions, any move to trade a superstar like Antetokounmpo greatly impacts the bottom line of a multibillion-dollar business like the Bucks or Browns.
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A major change like this across any business greatly impacts its operations, with an NBA or NFL team being no different.
That said, while Haslam should have the authority to approve or deny any deal moving a franchise player, he doesn’t have the skills or experience to overrule the general manager of a team to nix or modify a specific trade package.
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The Antetokounmpo trade will likely serve as the blockbuster move of the NBA offseason, further highlighting Haslam’s involvement.
Florio went even deeper, noting that “[Haslam] is not the controlling owner, but he owns enough that he’s involved, and they made it clear in May, they had a press conference talking about how he’s going to be involved in the team… and if you own the team, you do have the right to run it however you see fit.”
According to NFL.com, Haslam has only a 25% stake in the Bucks, though it’s enough for him to have a seat at the table for franchise-changing decisions like this.
While Antetokounmpo joins Myles Garrett as the second superstar traded away from a Haslam-owned team recently, we’ll have to wait and see if the deal pays off or not.
