In what’s shaping up to be a wild summer, the Toronto Raptors are now listed among the potential destinations for Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo should he request a trade. The writing may have been on the wall for months, with the Raptors long rumored to have interest in an offseason trade. Nevertheless, it’s a major plot twist given Antetokounmpo’s superstar status.
With that being said, if Toronto is serious about reeling in a big kahuna, they’ll need the right bait.
Raptors Best Trade Packages For Giannis Antetokounmpo
Most Simple
The simplest Antetokounmpo-headlined trade that the Raptors and Bucks could make would see the two-time NBA MVP and sixth man Bobby Portis wind up in Toronto whilst Scottie Barnes and RJ Barrett are sent to Milwaukee. The Raptors would likely surrender multiple first-rounders, including the 2025 No. 9 pick. However, Barnes’s youth, production and ceiling should prevent Toronto from having to give up too much draft capital.
In this scenario, Antetokounmpo replaces Barnes as the multi-tooled point-forward that the team builds around. Their general skillsets don’t diverge much, which benefits all parties involved. Still, Antetokounmpo is a much more assertive scorer, averaging +13.2 more points per game than Barnes.
Swapping Barrett and Portis allows the Raptors to promote a more fitting shooting guard to the starting lineup. In this case, that player is likely 3-and-D wing Ochai Agbaji. Meanwhile, Barrett helps fill the void left by Antetokounmpo after averaging 21.1 points and 5.4 assists per game in 2024-25.
Portis, who’ll be on the final year of his contract, isn’t just a throwaway player. An inside-outside scorer with decent mobility and even more heart, he could be valuable as their primary backup big. With the Bucks, Portis averaged 13.6 points and 8.3 rebounds per game, shooting 39.7 percent from 3.
Less Simple
In a more convoluted situation, the Raptors could try to find a third team to help facilitate the trade. This won’t be because of financial constraints but because of what the Bucks ask for. For example, Milwaukee could hope to get multiple lottery picks for Antetokounmpo. If so, Toronto would have to make some calls, as they only have one.
It’s possible that Barnes could fetch a top-10 pick though. Indeed, given their interest in Duke freshman Cooper Flagg, everyone that missed out on him could see the versatile forward as a consolation prize. Among the teams with a top-10 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, there are four who would probably be particularly motivated: the Utah Jazz, Washington Wizards, New Orleans Pelicans and Brooklyn Nets.
It doesn’t necessarily matter which of those four franchises bites on Barnes, as long as the Raptors wind up with a second lottery pick.
From there, they can move Barrett to the Bucks. As previously mentioned, Toronto has more complementary wings than Barrett. Portis would still head north of the border.
Not Simple
As big trades tend to get mashed up in official transactions, rumors involving other stars could be especially relevant.
For example, if Antetokounmpo wants to head to Toronto, then Milwaukee will basically have their pick of anyone on the Raptors roster. However, if they aren’t particularly moved by any of those players, it isn’t the end of the world. Perhaps the Phoenix Suns, Sacramento Kings, Golden State Warriors or some other organization will be interested.
But say the Bucks valued Wizards guard Jordan Poole more than Barnes, believing they’ll need to find Damian Lillard’s successor sooner rather than later. Prior to the 2024-25 season, it would’ve been far-fetched. Yet, while the 25-year-old Poole is coming off a strong season, a 34-year-old Lillard’s on the mend.
In this situation, Barrett and Poole are sent to Milwaukee. Barnes then heads to the Wizards, a team that was hoping to draft Flagg. Finally, Antetokounmpo and Portis are sent to Toronto.
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