Bucks’ Jimmy Haslam on Giannis trade: ‘We felt the need to get younger’

Jimmy Haslam has spent much of the summer answering questions about two blockbuster trades.

One involved the Browns. The other involved the Bucks.

Speaking Friday at Browns training camp, Haslam addressed Milwaukee’s decision to trade franchise cornerstone Giannis Antetokounmpo to the Heat, saying the move ultimately came down to positioning the organization for the future.

“It’s all about what you get,” Haslam said. “Giannis, generational player, won a championship, but we felt the need to get younger. He was the best asset we had.”

Milwaukee received Tyler Herro, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kel’el Ware, Kasparas Jakučionis, multiple first-round picks, a pair of pick swaps and a second-round selection in return for the two-time NBA MVP.

Haslam acknowledged replacing a player of Antetokounmpo’s caliber won’t be easy, but said the Bucks believed the package gave them the best opportunity to begin building toward the future.

“We got four really good players,” Haslam said. “We’ve got to use those picks wisely, just like we have to do with the Myles trade. But cautious optimism.”

Haslam joked that even his 95-year-old father asked if he realized he had traded away both Antetokounmpo and Browns star Myles Garrett within a matter of weeks.

He also admitted rebuilding an NBA team may be the tougher challenge.

“Rebuilding is no fun,” Haslam said. “I think it’s actually harder to rebuild in the NBA than the NFL. But we’ll see.”

The Bucks have already begun that process, using Miami’s first-round pick to draft Nate Ament while adding one of the league’s youngest collections of talent after moving on from Antetokounmpo and veteran forward Bobby Portis.