The Giannis to Toronto Raptors rumors are popping up again and now more than ever, it seems like they need each other.
How many times have we heard that the Toronto Raptors are a top landing spot for Giannis Antetokounmpo once he becomes a free agent? Far too many times to count. This time it is Vincent Goodwill,
who stated that many people in the NBA believe it is an open secret that Toronto and Miami are the frontrunners for Giannis.
Many in league circles believe Miami and Toronto are the frontrunners in the Giannis sweepstakes, with one observer telling @YahooSports “it’s an open secret”. Could Giannis be looking at his future in this series?: https://t.co/AVxWpjgEVz pic.twitter.com/8ndt9oVs9Z
— Vincent Goodwill (@VinceGoodwill) September 3, 2020
The Bucks failures
Now with the microscope on Giannis and the Milwaukee Bucks down 2-0 to the Miami Heat. That series could be the series that changes everything for Giannis who has expressed himself many times that winning a championship is his only goal
If the Bucks do fail to even get to a final again this year, then it might be time to realize that the Bucks have failed to surround Giannis with what he needs. Most especially at the head coach position, where Bud still treats the playoffs as if there are 82 games in it.
Before the slander on Budenholzer continues even more, let’s remind everyone that he has done a fantastic job of creating the perfect ecosystem for Giannis on offense and is a big reason that Giannis was an MVP in the first place. He deserves all the credit he can get for that and is one of the best system coaches in the league.
However, a system coach is now what gets you to the NBA finals. Despite having more firepower than the Miami Heat on paper, the coaching difference is the key reason the Bucks are down 2-0. In no realm are the Bucks down 2-0 if the coaches switch place this series. It’ll just be another playoff failure added on the list for Coach Bud.
There are numerous other reasons other than Budenholzer that the team has failed, and some of it is on Giannis as well. Budenholzer is just the easiest target given his history and also considering Nick Nurse is the coach for the Raptors.
Why Giannis would want to play for the Toronto Raptors
As of now, it’s clear that the Toronto Raptors are missing a superstar. It is extremely rare that teams win championships without a bonafide superstar. In the last 20 years alone, only one team has been able to do the impossible and that is the 2004 Detroit Pistons, who I’ve compared to the current Raptors’ team in the past before.
We know that Masai Ujiri has a very good relationship with Giannis and that the deal would make a whole lot of sense to begin with for both sides. The Toronto Raptors have the perfect defensive system, one of the league’s best coaches who can adapt on the fly (cough cough), a great development team, and Masai Ujiri who puts winning a championship ahead of anything else — just like Giannis.
Of course, the Toronto Raptors will be faced with a tough task ahead if they do want to sign Giannis. Free agents like VanVleet and Ibaka will be looking for big deals this offseason, OG Anunoby rookie contract is going to expire soon and he’ll be looking for an extension, and what do the Raptors do with Kyle Lowry?
At the end of the day, it is just a rumor, but it is a rumor we heard a number of times before and given what the Toronto Raptors need and what Giannis needs, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Masai put all his chips on the table for this rumor to become a reality.