Cooper Flagg has yet to play an NBA game, but this has not stopped teams from scheming to find a way to get the Duke Blue Devils star. Flagg’s fate will likely be decided on Monday, May 12, when the NBA Draft Lottery takes place. While not quite to the same level of Victor Wembanyama, Tim Duncan or superstars of the past, Flagg is still a heavy favorite to be the No. 1 pick. Even if not officially announced, the winner of the lottery will likely be the new home for Flagg. That is unless this NBA franchise opts to trade the
No. 1 pick for an established star. This is the backdrop as the Milwaukee Bucks prepare for an offseason that is sure to be filled with Giannis Antetokounmpo trade rumors. CBS Sports’ Sam Quinn put together potential landing spots for the superstar. One team that continues to be floated as intensifying their efforts to pry Antetokounmpo from Milwaukee is the Brooklyn Nets. Quinn makes the argument that the Nets could look to flip the No. 1 pick (if Brooklyn is fortunate enough to win the lottery) for Antetokounmpo. This technically could not become a Flagg for Antetokounmpo swap until NBA draft day.
“The Nets figure to factor prominently into these proceedings as well,” Quinn wrote on Monday. “Controlling four unprotected Knicks picks deep into the future is a pretty tempting proposition. “Their own pick this year will be in the lottery, and if they jump into the top-four, then all the better. Cooper Flagg for Giannis Antetokounmpo seems, on paper, like a pretty reasonable present-for-future swap: would you rather have five years of guaranteed All-NBA play, or 15 years with that potential but less certainty?” Quinn pondered. “That’s going to depend on context, but the Bucks in this scenario likely prefer the latter.
Dylan Harper or Ace Bailey aren’t quite as tantalizing, but they’d be plausible centerpieces here.” It is worth noting that Antetokounmpo has not declared his intention to push for a trade. This would not be the first NBA offseason dominated by Antetokounmpo trade rumors, only for the superstar to once again profess his fidelity to the Bucks. Yet,
the Bucks’ recent struggles to advance in the NBA playoffs has league insiders questioning whether the superstar could finally push for a trade in the coming months. Antetokounmpo is under contract with the Bucks through the 2027-28 NBA season as part of a three-year, $175 million deal.
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