Giannis Antetokounmpo has been clear about his future lately: He wants to win another championship. Wherever that path leads him.
The Milwaukee Bucks answered the call.
Antetokounmpo can’t say the Bucks aren’t trying. Milwaukee pulled off the trade of the offseason, getting guard Damian Lillard from the Portland Trail Blazers. The Bucks didn’t have to tear apart their roster either. They gave up Jrue Holiday, some picks and a few depth pieces to get one of the NBA’s elite guards.
Nobody saw the Bucks landing Lillard. Hopefully you got your Bucks title bets in before Wednesday, because they became the favorites to win the title with the blockbuster trade.
Bucks become title favorites
The Bucks were +650 to win the championship before Wednesday. Then the trade happened and they were +400 to win the NBA Finals at BetMGM.
They passed the Denver Nuggets for favorite status. The Nuggets are +475 to win a second straight championship.
The other major shift in the odds after the Lillard trade happened to the Miami Heat. The Heat’s odds kept getting shorter as everyone speculated they’d be the team to land Lillard. That didn’t happen and the Heat’s roster suddenly doesn’t look as good.
Miami was +1000 on Wednesday morning and that shifted all the way to +3000 after Milwaukee pulled off the trade. The trade was a pretty seismic shift for the NBA’s upcoming season.
Can Bucks win it all?
The Bucks still have some issues. It’s an old roster. There’s a reason they were bounced in the first round of last season’s NBA playoffs by the Heat. There’s also no guarantee Antetokounmpo and Lillard will be a perfect match.
But the pairing looks really good on paper. The Bucks got a lot better on Wednesday. It’s hard to dispute that.
Lillard’s deep shooting and all-around game should open things up for Antetokounmpo in the lane. The Bucks also still have Khris Middleton in the backcourt, too. The Bucks earned the top seed in the Eastern Conference last season and there’s no reason they can’t do it again, and this time have a deep playoff run.
Milwaukee won the championship in 2021 and Antetokounmpo has lamented that he doesn’t want to be stuck on one for the rest of his career. The Bucks apparently share his desire to get another ring.
