Giannis sweepstakes, OKC's quest for 74, the Trae-less Hawks

Welcome to From The Logo, a collection of opinions, analysis, and locker room insights from theScore's lead NBA reporter, Joseph Casciaro.

The Giannis sweepstakes

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Giannis Antetokounmpo's future could get complicated. On one hand, the Greek Freak would be one of the best players to ever hit the trade market: an MVP-caliber superstar averaging roughly 29 points, 10 rebounds, six assists, a steal, and a block. With all due respect to the 2022 version of Kevin Durant, you'd have to go back to Moses Malone in the early '80s (coming off an MVP award), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in the mid-'70s, or Wilt Chamberlain in the mid-'60s to find a comparable player on the trade block (Luka Doncic was never really on the market - thanks, Nico Harrison).

On the other hand, Antetokounmpo is about to turn 31 years old, is currently sidelined by a calf injury, and has missed an average of 15 games per season over the last four years, and his next team will likely give him a $275-million extension that covers his age 33-36 seasons. Banners hang forever, but gutting your team and mortgaging your future for that player - whose game relies on athleticism and explosiveness - isn't so straightforward.

Then there's Antetokounmpo's current employer. If the Bucks work with Giannis to find a mutually beneficial resolution, one could talk themselves into a Knicks package of Karl-Anthony Towns, one of OG Anunoby or Mikal Bridges, and whatever draft filler New York has left.

But Milwaukee, like Antetokounmpo, needs to worry about itself. The Bucks are asset-starved after spending years building teams that successfully convinced him to sign multiple extensions. They can't afford to settle for anything less than top dollar in these negotiations. Doing right by a franchise icon counts for something, but they can't do it at the expense of their own long-term viability. Plus, it's not like Milwaukee is a free-agent destination that might miss out on the next available star by rankling some players and agents.

Therefore, the trade partners that make the most sense are teams that can afford to send picks and a young star or blue-chip prospect to Milwaukee while still employing a star teammate for Antetokounmpo and preserving additional draft capital.

The Pistons could offer two of Jalen Duren, Ausar Thompson, and Jaden Ivey, plus salary filler and multiple draft selections, and still be able to pair Antetokounmpo with Cade Cunningham while keeping a few picks in the holster. Houston could build a deal around one of Alperen Sengun or Amen Thompson and use surplus picks from Brooklyn and Phoenix. That would leave the Rockets with Antetokounmpo, Durant, one of Thompson or Sengun, and most of their own picks.

The Spurs could move one of Stephon Castle or Dylan Harper, along with salary filler and picks, and still have one dynamic young guard to pair with Antetokounmpo, Victor Wembanyama, and De'Aaron Fox. Finally, the Hawks own New Orleans' unprotected pick this year, which is actually the most favorable of the Pelicans' or Bucks' selections. Atlanta can afford to flip that pick, along with Trae Young and 2024 No. 1 pick Zaccharie Risacher or Dyson Daniels. Even if the Hawks bit the bullet and moved rising star Jalen Johnson instead of Young, that would leave Atlanta with Antetokounmpo, Young, a solid supporting cast, and picks.

Right now, I'd lean toward Houston or San Antonio if New York doesn't have enough to get a deal done.

Are Thunder the best team ever?

If we really want to get nuts, I could point out that no team is capable of beating Oklahoma City's best offer in a theoretical Giannis sweepstakes. The Thunder could move Jalen Williams and the Clippers' 2026 first-rounder and add Antetokounmpo, and they'd still have reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren, a solid two-way core, and the league's deepest collection of picks.

It's outrageous how well the defending champions are set up for the present and future. But I wouldn't bet on OKC joining the list of Antetokounmpo suitors. Thunder general manager Sam Presti resisted calls to turn picks into another superstar as the Thunder slowly ascended the NBA mountain. I can't see him pulling the trigger on that kind of deal now that they're at the summit.

The 2025-26 Thunder might not be the most talented team ever assembled (the 2016-17 Warriors would like a word), but relative to their opposition in a given season, we're watching the most dominant team in league history. Oklahoma City is off to the second-best start of all time and owns the greatest point differential ever despite the fact that Williams - the team's second-best player and an All-NBA superstar - missed 19 of the first 22 games.

Here's how the Thunder's historic start compares to some of the league's other all-time teams:

Seventy-four wins is definitely within reach.

Any love for the Trae-less Hawks?

Reader Mac Welch wanted my take on the Hawks, who are 13-10 overall and 11-7 without Trae Young (out since late October with a knee injury).

As expected, the Hawks have been one of the league's most fascinating teams, due largely to Young's cloudy future. He's a four-time All-Star who could test free agency as soon as this summer, but between his own deficiencies and Atlanta's long-term outlook, the Hawks don't need to panic. Johnson is a bonafide two-way star on one of the league's biggest bargain contracts, the Hawks control what is currently the most valuable 2026 draft pick (via New Orleans), and the team has looked better with Young sidelined.

Although Young is an offensive wizard, he doesn't do enough off the ball, and he's one of the league's biggest defensive liabilities. Atlanta's best-case scenario is Young returning as a changed man who's willing to be more effective when the ball isn't in his hands, but that might be wishful thinking. The best long-term play would be to accept the best offer for Young - even if it constitutes selling low on the 27-year-old - and continue building around Johnson.

Over nearly a quarter of a season without Young, Atlanta has managed an average (15th-ranked) offense to complement a vastly improved (seventh-ranked) defense. The Hawks' ceiling is limited in the short term without Young's scoring and playmaking potential, but their path to sustainable contention might be clearer without him.

For all of those reasons, Young's potential trade and/or free-agency market would be a fascinating case study. I long felt Wembanyama would be an ideal partner for him, but that ship sailed when the Spurs acquired Fox last season.

Inside the locker room

What I'm hearing from players and people around the Association.

It's not grifting: Trail Blazers star Deni Avdija is well aware of how he and other so-called free-throw merchants or grifters are perceived, but the Most Improved Player candidate sees foul-drawing - and foul-baiting - as part of the game. "I understand people's frustration, because it slows the game down. But at the end of the day, if I'm aggressive and people foul me, I can't control it," Avdija told me after a recent loss in Toronto. "If people are trying to be over-aggressive with me, they need to get punished. I can't just let people be over-aggressive with me without any punishment. A lot of teams are coming super aggressive trying to defend me, and I'm going to take advantage."

Avdija, who ranks fourth in free-throw attempts per game and second among non-bigs in free-throw attempts per field-goal attempt, has a point. But he's missing the bigger one, and it's that foul-drawing is a basketball skill, whether critics want to accept it or not. That doesn't mean it's entertaining, and you might not think it's ethical, but parading to the line leads to efficient offense, slowly warps opposing defenses, and helps a team set its own defense.

I've always found it comical that people assume players who rack up free throws must be getting the benefit of the whistle, as if NBA officials got together one day and decided that guys like Avdija, Gilgeous-Alexander, Jimmy Butler, and Austin Reaves randomly deserve more freebies than their peers.

LeBron will always make the right play: "I've always made the right play," James said after dishing out a walk-off assist on the night his double-digit scoring streak came to an end. "That's all that matters. Win, lose, or draw, if you make the right play, the game - the (basketball) gods - will always give back to me."

Player of the Week

Jalen Johnson: 33.0 PPG, 63.7% TS, 13.0 RPG, 8.7 APG, 1.3 STL + BLK, 2-1 record

Jaylen Brown, Doncic, Anthony Edwards, and Gilgeous-Alexander were also in contention for the award (which takes into account games played since last Friday), but I had to reward Johnson's stellar two-way play.

The only thing keeping the 23-year-old from full-blown superstardom is consistent health. Johnson, who missed 72 games over the last two seasons due to shoulder, wrist, and ankle injuries, missed Atlanta's last game due to a calf injury.

We want to hear from you!

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