One person and one city have become the past, and the alphabet song finally decided: Stay in the East

After careful confirmation, Giannis Antetokounmpo (Antetokounmpo) has officially expressed his openness to the transaction. As several teams with high attention missed the playoffs this season, audiences in this year's finals may be expected to be a record low. However, in sharp contrast, the player trading market that has not yet been launched is gradually heating up and attracting much attention. The first major offseason deal is expected to be initiated by the Milwaukee Bucks, as Antetokounmpo has publicly stated this week that he will consider the future direction of his personal career for the first time, including the possibility of leaving Milwaukee and turning to his city. At present, the San Antonio Spurs, Houston Rockets, Brooklyn Nets and New Orleans Pelicans are all paying close attention to Antetokounmpo's dynamics and ranks first-tier.

As we all know, new owners need to meet at least three conditions to attract top stars to transfer: one is to have sufficient trading resources to impress the original team, such as first-round draft picks or potential new stars; the second is to provide an irrefutable maximum salary contract; the third is to show a clear and attractive future development blueprint. Antetokounmpo admitted last month that he would be unable to rest if he failed to win the second championship ring before his career ended. Therefore, the ideal next player should be the favorite to win the championship, and at least it should be a strong team in the league.

Taking into account the actual situation of the above four potential suitors, we can roughly evaluate the possibility of obtaining Antetokounmpo. The Nets have the most abundant salary space in the league, with more than $50 million, and hold the next 31 draft picks and 15 first-round picks. They undoubtedly have strong competitiveness in the competition for any top free agent. In addition, Antetokounmpo and Cameron Thomas share the same agent, which theoretically adds convenience to the Nets' pursuit of Antetokounmpo. However, from the perspective of championship competition, if the Nets cannot attract other superstars to join, it will be difficult to rewrite their destiny with Antetokounmpo's own efforts. This move is tantamount to a challenge to lead a single core team, so the Nets may not become the first choice.

The Pelicans also have rich draft assets, including 6 first-round picks and 4 second-round picks for trading, but their core competitiveness is not enough to attract Antetokounmpo to join. In addition, if the Pelicans intend to promote a strong alliance between "Fat Tiger" and Antetokounmpo, they will inevitably sacrifice two high-quality forward players, Jones and Murphy, and the health of Fat Tigers is also uncertain, which undoubtedly increases the risk and uncertainty of the transaction. Therefore, for Antetokounmpo, staying in Milwaukee may be a wise choice. Currently, it seems difficult to realize its full potential with CJ's assistance alone. Therefore, the Pelicans seem to have been excluded. As for the Spurs and the Rockets, the possibility of introducing Antetokounmpo seems to be comparable. The Spurs are located in Texas, which is one of the seven U.S. states that do not impose state personal income tax, undoubtedly provides players with significant tax benefits. This is undoubtedly very attractive for Antetokounmpo, who is about to qualify for a four-year contract totaling approximately $300 million in the 2026 offseason. After all, playing in a tax-free state will save a lot of money, which is in line with people's pursuit of rational wealth management.

From a competitive perspective, the Spurs also show great potential and are expected to be among the top five in the Western Conference. Although they failed to enter the playoffs this season, if Antetokounmpo is successfully introduced and form the three giants with existing core players (such as the Little Fox, Wenban, etc.), their competitiveness will be greatly improved, and it may even put pressure on Western Conference giants such as the Nuggets, Lakers, and Warriors.

If the Spurs can look to the long term and work on current victory, they are fully capable of providing the quotes needed by the Bucks, including potential star Castle, expiring contracts Barnes, combat power Vassel, Kelden and others, as well as future draft picks (such as this year's second pick, No. 14, and multiple first-round picks in 2027 and 2029).

Similar to the Spurs, the Rockets are also located in Texas, enjoy tax benefits and have abundant draft assets. They also have the ability to make big deals to match Antetokounmpo's contract. However, once Antetokounmpo joins, the Rockets may have to pay a huge price, including draft picks and potential new stars. Especially if the Bucks call on Amen who has performed well this season and Shin Kyung, who has just entered the All-Star lineup and is expected to enter the All-Series team, it will be a difficult choice.

Considering that Antetokounmpo is in his thirties and his playing style depends on his physical condition, the peak period of his career may be very little left. In contrast, Amen and Shin Kyung are only 22 years old and are still in the rising period of their careers. Therefore, it is indeed worth pondering whether the Rockets are willing to "shuh" these young talents for Antetokounmpo.