The Dallas Mavericks have already positioned most of their chips in the center of the table and seem content betting on the talents of Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.

The duo made a run to the NBA Finals last season and, after falling just short, have added Klay Thompson to the mix in an attempt to bolster the roster. At this stage of his career, Thompson is not an elite-level player, but it remains to be seen if he is, in fact, the missing piece

A popular NBA X account, Basketball Forever, suggests that the Mavericks could become the frontrunners for Giannis Antetokounmpo if things do not work out between the Milwaukee Bucks and their superstar player. This appears to be nothing more than speculation, as Antetokounmpo is still under contract with the Bucks until at least the 2027-28 season, but if it does turn out to be remotely true, it would be a league-breaking development.

It seems preposterous to think that Milwaukee would simply move on from Antetokounmpo, but crazier things have happened. It feels like every season, a star NBA player becomes disgruntled and requests a trade, so nonetheless, let’s dive in.

The Bucks just traded for Damian Lillard last offseason to pair with Antetokounmpo. While the move did not work in year one, there is no chance the team would go in another direction without playing it out for at least another year. It feels like the only way Antetokounmpo ends up on another team heading into next season is if the pairing is a complete disaster in year two.

Milwaukee gave up Jrue Holiday, Grayson Allen, a first-round pick, and two first-round pick swaps for Lillard. If the franchise and its superstar player throw in the towel two years later after giving up that much, it would have to mean the Bucks either miss the playoffs entirely or tension starts to brew within the locker room.

On the Dallas side, it would mean gutting their roster, something they would likely do if it meant adding Antetokounmpo. If they win the championship next season, why break it up? However, we are operating in a hypothetical world where they are trying to trade for the Bucks’ two-time MVP.

On paper, Kyrie Irving seems like the most logical player the Mavericks would send back in return. Swapping Irving would be the easiest way to make the contracts line up, as he has a $43.9 million player option for 2025-26. That being said, if he were to be traded, he would probably just opt out. Also, the Bucks would be entering a rebuild in this scenario, so Irving does not make sense.

The reality is that the Bucks would be asking for younger assets like P.J. Washington, Dereck Lively Jr., and Daniel Gafford. The problem would be that if Irving accepts his player option, Dallas would be well over the salary cap. The Mavericks would then have to find a trade partner for Irving anyway.

A three-team trade would make the most sense. Irving would go to another contender, Dallas would get Antetokounmpo, and the Bucks would receive a massive package of young players and draft picks. This feels like the only realistic option.

All of the dominos would have to fall in a certain way for any of this to become a possibility. It is silly to even bring it up now, but anytime there is talk of two of the best basketball players in the world potentially teaming up, it is something that at least needs to be looked at.

Both franchises and their star players are perfectly content with their current position entering the season, but a lot can change in one NBA calendar year.