A ton of losses and a series of catastrophic injuries to the players left fighting for the final playoff spot doomed the 2024-25 season to be one that will surely be discussed for years to come as among the worst, most disastrous seasons a team could ever have.
That’s why it's laughable to think that any luck, in even a tiny amount, will find its way to the American Airlines Center anytime soon. Some out there seem to think GM Nico Harrison might try to swipe up a big name in the off-season to help soothe the wounds he’s caused to the fandom, but do not bet on it.
Perhaps more than any other player right now, many league observers think that two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo might soon be moving from the Milwaukee Bucks. The team has underperformed since winning the NBA championship in 2021, and now, rumors involving the so-called “Greek freak” being traded are dominating the headlines as much as NBA playoff results are.
For those who may have forgotten, the Mavericks missed out on Antetokounmpo once already. In 2013, Dallas held the 13th pick in the draft but traded it to draft later in the first round, at No. 19. Antetokounmpo, a talent primarily known by close league observers and scouts, was nabbed by Milwaukee at No. 15. Now, some pundits have suggested that had Dallas picked the player from Greece then, Doncic might never have been taken by the Mavericks in 2018, but that hypothetical requires more mental gymnastics than we want to perform.
Some reports following the Doncic trade said Milwaukee was a team Harrison approached about a trade for Antetokounmpo, but the Bucks quickly declined. Based on what the experts around the league are saying now, it’s highly likely the Mavericks had a better shot of landing Antetokounmpo in 2013 than they will over these next few months.
When ranking the likeliest trade destinations for Antetokounmpo, CBS Sports has the Mavs ranked 27th out of 30. In explaining the rationale, even the CBS reporter couldn't resist taking a few shots at Harrison, something Dallas fans have turned into an art form since February. After noting that “Dončić only moved because he happened to play for the one general manager foolish enough to trade him,” CBS Sports reporter Sam Quinn added:
“Hey, maybe if Nico Harrison had negotiated with the Lakers for more than 30 seconds, he could've extracted Austin Reaves in the Dončić trade and actually brought some meaningful assets to the table here! Yes, it is pretty funny that Harrison traded Dončić for Anthony Davis because ‘defense wins championships’ mere months away from the potential Antetokounmpo sweepstakes, in case you were wondering.”
And it’s not just one knowledgeable NBA observer giving long odds to the Mavericks in the Giannis sweepstakes. Sports Illustrated recently reported that the DraftKings Sportsbook listed the Golden State Warriors as the team with the best odds to land Antetokounmpo in a trade, noting that the greatest likelihood is that he stays in Milwaukee. The Mavericks? They’re listed at +2500 odds. Not the longest odds ever listed, but they’re far from the favorite.
If you’re somehow still a Mavericks fan and excited for the Laker Luka era to continue, then there’s some silver lining. Since the Mavs missed the playoffs, they will have a shot at landing the first overall selection in the summer NBA draft. Now, there’s merely a 1.8% chance of that happening, so the current Vegas odds of Dallas trading for Antetokounmpo don't look so bad.
