Farewell moment? Giannis and the Bucks, a two-way journey that is doomed to be tragedy

Milwaukee's basketball sky is shrouded in darkness - to be honest, the Bucks' hopes for the championship have been shattered. Today, the entire league is focused on the same question: Will they trade Giannis Antetokounmpo? When will this decision be made that is enough to rewrite the team history? Damian Lillard's Achilles tendon ruptured, like the last straw that crushed the giant ship "Giannis". This warship, which once struggled to move forward in the wind and rain, has now been eroded by borers and is full of holes.

Lillard's injury is full of black humorous irony. In 2015, it was Wesley Matthews' Achilles tendon that ruptured the Portland Trail Blazers' brilliant 51-win season, and then Lamarcus Aldridge left and the team was forced to rebuild. Eight years later, a similar fate repeats itself in Milwaukee. The gears of history seem to be teasing Lillard - the Trail Blazers were rebuilt with injuries, but now his injury may put the Bucks in the same dilemma as they were in the late Portland period: long waits, hopeless lineups, and ultimately inevitable trade requests.

Even before Lillard was injured, the Bucks' road to the championship was already full of thorns. Now, this road is completely cut off. The team is incompetent, lacks potential new stars and draft assets, and struggles on the brink of the second threshold of luxury tax every year. After Giannis, the two core members, Brooke Lopez and Bobby Portis, faced the expiration of their contracts; Lillard's huge contract was hung high above his head, and his status was a mystery when he returned at the age of 36; Kyle Kuzma was very useful. This season, when Giannis and Lillard were on the court at the same time, the team's net score was only +4.7, which was no different from mid-range teams such as the Knicks and the Grizzlies - how can such a performance compete with the championship team? The hourglass of time is accelerating. Although Giannis is one of the top three super giants in the league, he is about to turn 30, and the lineup around him is becoming more and more desperate. In the next two seasons, even if the situation in the East is favorable, the Bucks can only barely enter the playoffs as the sixth seed, to welcome another first-round disparity duel. When Lillard's contract expires in 2027, Giannis will be 32 years old. If he does not renew his contract, he will become a free agent, while the Bucks are still deeply trapped in the quagmire of lack of draft picks.

The Bucks management is in a dilemma. Staying Giannis means continuing to struggle in the quagmire; trading him, but lacking enough assets as the basis for reconstruction. The team once spent a lot of money on luxury taxes to pursue the championship, but now it seems that most of these efforts have been wasted. Their only remaining trading chips - the first-round pick in 2031 or 2032, have become a desperate bet.

transaction plans seem to be quite different, but they are actually full of risks. Trade Lillard with Phoenix for Bradley Bill, or use the draft pick to "get rid of" Kuzma, but these operations are inevitably repeated by the Trail Blazers - a series of "winning in the present" decisions made by the team in order to retain Lillard, which eventually puts itself in a years-long reconstruction dilemma.

Looking at the alliance, potential dealers are coming to light. The Houston Rockets can provide "Mini Giannis" Amen Thompson, an attractive draft pick and salary matching plan; the Brooklyn Nets have a large number of draft picks and salary space, and can take over contracts such as Connaughton and Kuzma; the San Antonio Spurs attract attention with a fantasy combination of Stephen Custer, multiple lottery draws and Vinbanyama; the Toronto Raptors hold Scotty Barnes and the draft pick, and president Marseille Ujeri has long been eyeing it.

However, trading Giannis is no easy task. Emotionally, it is difficult for the Bucks to give up the best player in the team history; operationally, the lack of draft picks has made the road to reconstruction full of thorns. But Lillard's experience has sounded the alarm: instead of consuming the peak period of stars during the long wait, it is better to stop "ripping off Band-Aids". Just like an ocean-going ship that is lost in a storm, although it is difficult to turn around, it is the only hope to sail for rebirth. Milwaukee's fate is now hanging among the management's thoughts.