NBA Rumors: Portland Trail Blazers were a secret landing spot for Giannis Antetokounmpo in free agency
Giannis Antetokounmpo has put all NBA rumors to bed by finally signing a supermax extension with the Milwaukee Bucks. Several teams were in the running for the Greek Freak and it seems like the Portland Trail Blazers were also plotting to land him via free agency.
As mentioned by Chris Haynes on the latest episode of the Posted Up with Chris Haynes podcast, the Blazers were secretly in the running for Giannis. Haynes reported the following:
"If Giannis were to leave Milwaukee, I’m talking about this past summer, before he signed the max extension. ... I believe there was a team that he would have considered leaving for, and that team is the Portland Trail Blazers. Sources have told me that Giannis and Damian Lillard, they’ve gotten really close over the last few months. And they were talking about working out together." [H/T: Blazer's Edge]
The 2020 NBA Playoffs was the second instance of the Milwaukee Bucks failing to meet expectation in the postseason. It was clear that the roster wasn't good enough to support Giannis Antetokounmpo as he led the Bucks' charge for a title.
Giannis evidently wanted to play with better players and as such, joining Damian Lillard and the Portland Trail Blazers could've seemed enticing to him. The 2020 NBA MVP is arguably the best player inside the paint. Combining that with Lillard's shooting range would easily make the Blazers title contenders.
However, Giannis Antetokounmpo eventually agreed to a five-year $228 million extension with the Milwaukee Bucks, the largest in NBA history. This puts all the NBA rumors about a move to the Portland Trail Blazers or any other franchise to bed.
NBA Rumors: How Milwaukee Bucks convinced Giannis Antetokounmpo to stay
Trading for Jrue Holiday was the biggest move that helped the Milwaukee Bucks in retaining the services of Giannis Antetokounmpo. The defensive stalwart can average 20 points a game and is ready to fortify the Bucks' backcourt.
In the meantime, the franchise also landed useful role players such as DJ Augustin, Torrey Craig, and Bobby Portis to round out the roster.
Also read: Milwaukee Bucks vs Boston Celtics Prediction - Combined Starting 5 featuring Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jayson Tatum