The Milwaukee Bucks pulled off the biggest storyline of the 2023 NBA offseason that no one expected: they acquired Damian Lillard via trade from the Portland Trailblazers. Of course, they had to give up Jrue Holiday in the package they sent to make the trade happen, an unfortunate but necessary inclusion.
For weeks, it seemed as if the Miami Heat were the only team in on Lillard, as they were the team he identified as his preferred destination. But the Trailblazers played hardball with Miami and the Heat never sent over an offer that moved the needle.
Then out of nowhere, Jon Horst pulls off the biggest trade of his career as a general manager, pairing his star, Giannis Antetokounmpo, with another legitimate superstar for the first time. Now armed with two of the NBA’s Top 75 players of all time, the Bucks are in as good of a position as ever to make a run for another Championship.
Giannis Antetokounmpo Did Not Know the Milwaukee Bucks Were Trying to Trade for Damian Lillard
As many are aware, Giannis was not told that Milwaukee was in the running for Lillard for one very important reason: the inclusion of Holiday. Before and after the trade, Giannis has spoken incredibly highly of the former Bucks point guard, calling him “The best man I know.”
Had Giannis been involved, or had he heard about what Horst was trying to do, things might have gone down very differently. Sam Amick of The Athletic wrote that secrecy was one of Horst’s non-negotiable conditions of engaging in trade talks with Portland:
“Secrecy is paramount when it comes to moves of this magnitude. One stray piece of information, or an ill-timed media leak, can change the state of negotiations or perhaps kill a trade entirely. If there is no deal to be done, then it’s vital to keep the details of those discussions private to protect the spirit of the players discussed and, by proxy, the group.
“In this case, where the Bucks already had a roster they still believed to be legitimate title contenders, that meant keeping the Holiday part of the discussion with the Trail Blazers under wraps.”
When the trade was made, and when it was revealed that Giannis was not included on the decision, many wondered how it would affect his view of the front office.
Giannis Antetokounmpo Does Not Want to Be Involved in Trade Discussions
From the sound of it, Horst made the right decision to exclude his two-time MVP from the discussions. Amick wrote:
“No idea,” Antetokounmpo told The Athletic recently. “No idea. But I understand why, because Jrue Holiday is my guy. And I don’t want (to be part of that process). I don’t do this.
“I’ve said many times that I don’t want to be aware of things that affect people’s lives,” Antetokounmpo said. “At the end of the day, if you trade somebody it affects his life, or if you fire somebody, it affects his life. For me, I cannot be a part of that. And I want to stay away.
“What I want to know is that we always have a chance to win. I trust you guys, and you guys are going to do that. And I think Jon has done a great job doing that for years now.”
This is a stark contrast from other NBA superstars, most notably LeBron James, who want to be included in every big decision that their team makes.
For Giannis, though, stepping away from this kind of decision making process allows him to focus on his primary goal: winning a NBA Championship. He knows he grows attached to his teammates, and he knows that, sometimes, those teammates need to be moved. However, his feelings towards them would get in the way of his signing off on trading them, even if it was for the good of the team.
He knows his limitations, and he trusts his front office.
What a rare kind of superstar!
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