Milwaukee Bucks co-owner Jimmy Haslam says the team will decide Giannis Antetokounmpo’s future before the NBA Draft begins June 23, putting trade speculation—including Boston’s reported interest—on a tight clock. The stakes are clear in history: only a handful
By the time June 23 arrives, the Milwaukee Bucks’ future around Giannis Antetokounmpo may already be decided—at least according to the man who helps run the team.
Bucks co-owner Jimmy Haslam said Milwaukee plans to make a decision on Antetokounmpo’s future with the franchise before the NBA Draft starts on June 23. For the Celtics, who are reportedly a “wild card” team to watch in Antetokounmpo trade talks, the calendar matters as much as the basketball.
Only a handful of players with as many All-NBA first-team selections as Antetokounmpo have ever been traded. and that scarcity is where the concern—and the hope—gets concentrated. Each year, there are 15 spots on the three All-NBA teams, selected by a global panel of sportswriters and broadcasters. The top five make first-team All-NBA. All-NBA selections carry weight across the league. and an All-NBA selection is part of the criteria for players to be eligible for Supermax contract extensions.
Antetokounmpo has seven first-team All-NBA selections. The list of players with that many is very short. and he’s tied with Wilt Chamberlain for 6th all time. Only five of the 15 players ahead of or tied with Antetokounmpo on that list have ever been traded—excluding Bob Cousy. who was traded to the Chicago Stags but never played a game for the franchise before it folded. Those five are LeBron James, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Oscar Robertson, Shaquille O’Neal and Chamberlain.
And the pattern that follows those names is hard to ignore. All five won titles after being traded, and all of them won titles at age 32 or older. Antetokounmpo will turn 32 in December.
So the question Boston is trying to answer isn’t only “Can you get a player like this?” It’s also “What does it usually look like after the trade—how fast, and at what cost?”
LeBron James was traded after becoming an unrestricted free-agent in 2010. The Heat received LeBron James; the Cavaliers received two first-round picks. two second-round picks. rights to a pick swap. and a trade exception. The way it played out is familiar: fueled by a core of James. Dwyane Wade. and Chris Bosh. the Heat won back-to-back titles in 2012 and 2013. After four seasons in Miami. James signed with the Cavaliers as a free-agent. where he led Cleveland to its only NBA title. He later signed with the Lakers and led them to a championship in 2020 before becoming the NBA’s all-time leading scorer. The age at his last championship was 35.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s trade came with its own kind of long shadow. The Lakers received Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Walt Wesley; the Bucks received Elmore Smith, Brian Winters, Junior Bridgeman, and Dave Meyers. Abdul-Jabbar spent 14 seasons with the Lakers and won five of his six championships with the team. He won three of his record six MVP awards during his time in Los Angeles. The 19-time All-Star retired as the league’s all-time scoring leader before James passed him. For Milwaukee, it meant a drought: the Bucks went 50 years in between titles after the trade. Abdul-Jabbar and Antetokounmpo are the only two Finals MVPs in Bucks history. The age at his last championship was 41.
Oscar Robertson’s deal landed directly with Milwaukee. The Bucks received Oscar Robertson; the Royals received Flynn Robinson and Charley Paulk. After a decade playing for the Cincinnati Royals, Robinson was traded to the Bucks in 1970. Milwaukee had just drafted Abdul-Jabbar—then known as Lew Alcindor—the year before in 1969. In 1971, Robertson and Abdul-Jabbar led the Bucks to their first championship. Robertson finished fifth in the MVP voting. averaging 19.4 points. 7.7 assists. and five rebounds en route to the second-to-last of his dozen All-Star appearances. Robertson spent the final four seasons of his career with the Bucks before retiring in 1974. The age at his last championship was 32.
Shaquille O’Neal’s path is different in timing, but similar in destination. O’Neal was traded three times:
— In one deal, Heat received Shaquille O’Neal, Lakers received Lamar Odom, Caron Butler, Brian Grant, and a first-round pick (2004). — In another, Suns received Shaquille O’Neal; Heat received Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks (2008). — Then. in a third trade. Cavs received Shaquille O’Neal; Suns received Ben Wallace. Sasha Pavovic. a conditional second-round pick. and cash considerations.
He spent three full seasons in Miami before the 2008 trade to the Suns. He finished second in the MVP voting in 2005 and helped Dwyane Wade bring Miami its first title in 2006. O’Neal made the last of his 15 All-Star appearances in 2009 with the Suns. Phoenix never made it past the first round while O’Neal was there. With Cleveland. his lone season ended with heartbreak: the Cavs lost to the Celtics in the conference semifinals during O’Neal’s only season with the franchise in 2010. O’Neal signed with the Celtics the following year for his final NBA season in 2011. The age at his last championship was 33.
Wilt Chamberlain’s trade also moved the center of gravity. Lakers received Wilt Chamberlain; 76ers received Darrall Imhoff, Jerry Chambers, and Archie Clark. The Lakers traded for Chamberlain after he won three consecutive MVP awards. Chamberlain made back-to-back appearances on the NBA All-Defensive first team in his final two seasons. 1972 and 1973. and he was top-five in the MVP voting both years. The Lakers won a title in 1972, and Chamberlain was named Finals MVP. The age at his last championship was 35.
Looking at the list of players with seven or more First-Team All-NBA selections makes the rarity feel even sharper. LeBron James has 13; Kobe Bryant has 11 and Karl Malone has 11. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Tim Duncan, Bob Cousy, Jerry West, Michael Jordan, Bob Pettit, and Elgin Baylor have 10. Oscar Robertson, Larry Bird, and Magic Johnson have 9. Shaquille O’Neal has 8. Wilt Chamberlain has 7 and Giannis Antetokounmpo has 7.
The note attached to that list also matters: Bryant. Duncan. West. Baylor. Pettit. Bird. and Johnson all spent their entire careers with one franchise. Malone and Jordan played for multiple franchises, but signed as free-agents. Cousy was traded but the team folded and he never played a game for them.
In other words, when a player reaches Antetokounmpo’s level of recognition and then actually gets traded, history doesn’t treat it like a routine roster shuffle. It becomes a fulcrum.
With Haslam saying Milwaukee expects to decide Antetokounmpo’s future before the NBA Draft begins on June 23. the Bucks have placed the decision under a deadline. For the Celtics—watching as a reported “wild card” in the talks—the only certainty right now is that the window for speculation is narrowing fast. and the next move could echo the very trades that delivered titles to their new teams.
Giannis Antetokounmpo Milwaukee Bucks Boston Celtics NBA Draft June 23 Jimmy Haslam All-NBA first team Supermax eligibility LeBron James trade Kareem Abdul-Jabbar trade Oscar Robertson trade Shaquille O'Neal trade Wilt Chamberlain trade