ESPN Analyst Urges Thunder to Trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo After Game 7 Loss

One of the biggest storylines over the next few weeks will center on Giannis Antetokounmpo and whether the Milwaukee Bucks decide to trade him ahead of June’s NBA Draft.

Several teams have been linked to Antetokounmpo in rumors, but following the Oklahoma City Thunder’s Game 7 loss in the Western Conference Finals, many believe Oklahoma City should enter the conversation, including Kendrick Perkins.

Perkins pointed to Chet Holmgren’s struggles throughout the series against Victor Wembanyama and argued that the Thunder should pursue Antetokounmpo, a deal that would likely require Holmgren as part of the package.

"Wemby straight up not only punked him, but he took his heart, he snatched his soul," Perkins said. "Chet Holmgren was scared to compete. You gotta go find a guy like Giannis Antetokounmpo that’s gonna come in and move the needle and be able to go toe to toe in some capacity with Wembanyama because Chet Holmgren ain’t it."

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If any team can assemble the strongest overall package for Antetokounmpo, it would likely be the Oklahoma City Thunder. Oklahoma City boasts an impressive collection of young talent and controls a treasure trove of draft assets accumulated by general manager Sam Presti over the past several seasons.

Any potential deal would likely begin with either Chet Holmgren or Jalen Williams, while also potentially including promising young players such as Cason Wallace or Ajay Mitchell.

From there, the framework would likely be built around significant draft compensation, an area where Oklahoma City has more flexibility than almost any team in the league.

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This story was originally published May 31, 2026 at 1:00 PM.