ATLANTA — I have always believed NBA teams should go all-in to acquire superstar players in those rare instances when they become available. Send away good players for an all-time great player. Sacrifice the potential of future draft picks for the certainty of getting an MVP-level player on the roster now.

That’s where I’m at with the possibility the Atlanta Hawks could acquire Giannis Antetokounmpo from the Milwaukee Bucks. He’s reportedly open to being traded. The timing is right for the Hawks, who have the financial flexibility to add him to their payroll. If Giannis decides he wants out of Milwaukee, then the Hawks should do whatever it takes to land him.

I say that while understanding the risks. Money isn’t the issue. Antetokounmpo is worth every penny of the two years and approximately $112.6 million in guaranteed money left on his contract, plus his $62.8 million player option for 2027-28. He’s a future Hall of Fame player in his prime. He turns 31 in December.

The bigger risk for the Hawks is that, at least initially, they might not be much better with Antetokounmpo. To acquire him, they’d likely have to depart with two of their top three players and a bushel of draft picks. Then they’d face restrictions on roster building. Antetokounmpo could leave after two seasons if he doesn’t like the way things are going.

I still say it would be worth it for the Hawks. Contending for an NBA title requires an MVP-level player. The Hawks don’t have one. If Antetokounmpo is available, then pay the heavy price for him and work backward from there. That’s easier than what seems to be their current plan of growing their young core, with Trae Young as the lead, and hoping for the best.

Everybody knows the history here. The Hawks aren’t the kind of big-market franchise that has superstars fall into their laps, like the Lakers. They must either get lucky during a year when that kind of talent is in the draft or take a big risk to acquire a proven superstar in the unlikely chance one is on the trade market.

This could be the year for Antetokounmpo. He’s played for the Bucks since they selected him with the No. 15 pick in the 2013 draft (then-Hawks general manager Danny Ferry famously coveted Antetokounmpo with the No. 17 pick). When ESPN reported Monday that Antetokounmpo is “open-minded” about considering playing elsewhere for the first time, it was the kind of news that put the league in a holding pattern.

The 29 other teams are waiting to see if Antetokounmpo decides he wants out and, if so, how they could possibly acquire him. The Hawks could at least make a competitive offer.

Milwaukee could pick two from the trio of Young, Jalen Johnson and Dyson Daniels. The Bucks could ask for Atlanta’s two first-round picks this season (Nos. 13 and 22) plus up to three more first-round picks through the 2032 draft. That would be a big haul. It still might not be the best deal the Bucks could get for a top-3 player.

Antetokounmpo is an eight-time All-NBA selection, five-time All-Defensive pick and one-time NBA champion. He’s the most unique player in the league (Nikola Jokić isn’t a terror in the open court like Antetokounmpo). This season, Antetokounmpo averaged 30.4 points, 11.9 rebounds and 6.5 points while shooting 60% from the field.

Every team wants to acquire Antetokounmpo. The Hawks must consider the risks, which are substantial.

Gauging the risk

If they made the trade, then their payroll almost certainly would be above the luxury-tax line. It would be “hard-capped” at about $178 million under the rules of the collective bargaining agreement. The Hawks also would be subject to several restrictions meant to prevent the highest-spending teams from adding more high-priced talent.

Those restrictions mean the Hawks would have a hard time adding more good players around Antetokounmpo (their league-high $45.6 million in available trade exceptions would help with that process). They’d have a roster with an MVP candidate but, realistically, only one of All-Star Young or rising star Johnson and no Daniels as an elite defender. There probably would be no other high-level starter.

The Hawks should take on that difficult team-building challenge if it means getting Antetokounmpo. Let recently promoted general manager Onsi Saleh and the yet-to-be-named team president make smart moves to supplement the roster around their superstar. Surely, principal owner Tony Ressler would finally spend whatever it takes to ensure the Hawks build a championship team once they have the most important element for one.

If the Hawks failed in that endeavor, then the hypothetical team with Giannis might not do much better than the past four Hawks teams: two first-round playoff losses and two play-in losses. After all, the Bucks lost in the first round in two of the last three seasons with much better and deeper rosters around Antetokounmpo (injury kept him out of the series loss to the Pacers in 2024).

Antetokounmpo apparently is seeking much more than that. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that Antetokounmpo has been “dissatisfied with the level of the Bucks” for the past two seasons beyond the early postseason losses. Since earning the Eastern Conference’s No. 1 seed in 2023 with 58 wins, the Bucks were the third seed in ’24 (49 wins) and fifth seed this season (48 wins).

Antetokounmpo signed a contract extension with the Bucks after they won 56 games in 2019-20 and made the East semifinals. He signed another extension after the Bucks won 58 games in 2022-23 and lost in the first round (Antetokounmpo sat out three of the five games because of injury). According to the Journal Sentinel, getting another commitment from Antetokounmpo will require the Bucks to convince him they can build a team with a “great chance” to return to the NBA Finals.

The Hawks can make that case to Antetokounmpo after sending the Bucks a satisfactory trade package. They’d be risking breaking up their core of good young players for Antetokounmpo, only to see him opt out of his contract after two unsatisfactory seasons here. A long rebuild could follow.

But would that be any worse than trying and failing to make a series of moves to break out of their long pattern of mediocrity without a superstar player? Antetokounmpo is an MVP-level player. He could soon be available. If so, then the Hawks should go all-in to acquire him.

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