Report: Nets wanted to pair Giannis Antetokounmpo with Mikal Bridges
Before trading Mikal Bridges to the New York Knicks, the Brooklyn Nets hoped to acquire Giannis Antetokounmpo, per Brian Lewis of the New York Post.
The Brooklyn Nets are hoping to get lucky after the 2025-26 NBA season ends with the prospect of the 2026 NBA Draft potentially giving them a franchise player to build around. Brooklyn has been looking for that level of player since the franchise traded away Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving during the 2022-23 campaign and it seems like they were hoping for a certain someone to come to Brooklyn. "The Nets never viewed Mikal Bridges as Superman, but as the perfect Robin to team up with a potential Batman like Antetokounmpo," Brian Lewis of the New York Post wrote when discussing Brooklyn's interest in Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Antetokounmpo, who appears to be at odds with the Bucks organization over his availability to play in games, could be moving to a different team this summer. "Sources told The Post that Brooklyn’s hope had been to lure the Greek star back in 2023-24," Lewis continued before explaining that while the Nets were always interested in Antetokounmpo's services, they never reached out to Milwaukee about it due to their circumstances. "Despite a Bleacher Report story that claimed Brooklyn had called the Bucks about Antetokounmpo, sources told The Post that the Nets never did," Lewis wrote.
At this point in the season, the Bucks have been eliminated from postseason contention so the team is trying to secure the best pick possible in the upcoming Draft, especially given the fact that Antetokounmpo could finally ask out of Milwaukee this summer. Before this season ends, however, Antetokounmpo would like to take the floor with his two brothers on the team, Thanasis and Alex, before the year comes to an end. As this relates to the Nets and their potential pursuit of Antetokounmpo this offseason, it's important to note that when Brooklyn couldn't acquire him, they traded Bridges to the New York Knicks for a bevy of first-round picks.
General manager Sean Marks and the front office always maintained that Bridges was intended to be one of the building blocks in the rebuild, but they changed their mind once Antetokounmpo was unavailable. What Brooklyn does this offseason will likely depend on what pick they end up with in the 2026 Draft since that could influence whether the Nets want to put their chips in to compete for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. If Marks wants to end the rebuild after getting someone in the Draft like BYU forward AJ Dybantsa, for example, Antetokounmpo could be more available now than ever before and the Nets still have forward Michael Porter Jr.