If you ask ESPN insider Brian Windhorst, the NBA Draft lottery is about two players.
“Cooper Flagg and Giannis Antetokounmpo,” Windhorst said on ESPN. “Cooper Flagg is going to find out where he is going, and Giannis Antetokounmpo is going to find out which teams have the strongest hand.”
Why did Windhorst mention “the strongest hand”? Well, probably because Antetokounmpo is reportedly open to parting ways with the Milwaukee Bucks. There are conflicting reports on that, of course, as some have suggested Antetokounmpo doesn’t want to go anywhere.
But this is the NBA, and that means there will be rumors about stars wanting to play somewhere other than where they are.
And it generally starts with the lottery, which takes place Monday at 7 p.m.
“Two things you need to know about the Bucks when you consider a trade: No. 1, the Bucks do not control their first-round pick for five years,” Windhorst said. “That means if the Bucks are going to trade (Antetokounmpo), thinking they’re going to tank for the next three years and rebuild, it’s not gonna happen. They need quality players.
“And the other thing that you need to know is, if you’re going to trade Giannis to a team that’s gonna be a superteam, getting that team’s draft assets is not exciting. They’re not gonna be very high picks for the next few years.
“So you’re going to look at teams that have players to trade, and other teams’ draft assets, that they can trade besides theirs.”
Then Windhorst somewhat aggressively repeated himself.
“San Antonio and Houston,” he added, as teams that may have what the Bucks, and Antetokounmpo, are seeking. “San Antonio and Houston.”
Windhorst is generally right on about this stuff, so it’s clearly way more than wild speculation. But this is the NBA, this is lottery night, and this is just the way it will always go.
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