The long wait is over. Giannis Antetokounmpo is no longer a Milwaukee Buck. After trade discussions that went to the wire between the Bucks, Celtics, and the Heat, Milwaukee accepted Miami's offer on Monday night, ending the Greek Freak era. Even though the Detroit Pistons weren't involved in the deal as some thought, they ended up as one of the big winners of the blockbuster trade.
There was an expectation that this would be a multi-team trade and the Pistons would acquire Tyler Herro from Miami. While there is still a chance this deal will be expanded until the time it's finalized, this doesn't seem to be the case so far.
Pistons fans should be thrilled about how the Giannis Antetokounmpo saga played out
First of all, this suggests that the Pistons may be eyeing bigger fish on the market. Not getting involved in Herro as a third team in the trade, the Pistons are more likely to pursue higher-end upgrades, whether that is Trey Murphy, Kyrie Irving, Kawhi Leonard, or someone else.
A bigger reason why the Pistons are big winners, however, is the fact that Giannis isn't headed to Boston. The Celtics were reportedly on the verge of upgrading from Brown to Giannis, which would have instantly pushed them to the top tier of title contenders, almost certainly above Detroit. Instead, the Celtics are now stuck with a potentially unhappy Brown, who was dangled in trade talks all June.
Miami with Antetokounmpo is a less scary opponent than the Celtics. Yes, the Antetokounmpo-Bam Adebayo duo is an exciting one, especially defensively. The rest of Miami's roster, however, leaves plenty to be desired. The rest of the projected starters, Davion Mitchell, Norm Powell, and Andrew Wiggins, don't necessarily scream championship contenders.
Plus, the Heat don't have a way to improve the roster significantly after giving up so many assets for Giannis. Sure, Pat Riley may have another trick up his sleeve and make another trade. Miami will also be an attractive destination for veteran free agents. But the lack of depth and perimeter creation will continue to be issues.
This also means Milwaukee will no longer be relevant. With the Bucks and the Bulls expected to be two of the worst teams in the East now, the Central Division has gotten easier for the Pistons.
Detroit has to take care of its own business this summer. They have to make the necessary moves to add more firepower. It's too early to place them at the top in the Eastern Conference hierarchy, but they should be very happy with how the Antetokounmpo saga played out. With the right series of moves, there is no reason that the Pistons can't start next season as the second-best team in the East behind the New York Knicks.
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