Latest 'GM Giannis' trade should be music to Spurs fans' ears

It is NBA trade deadline week, and there has already been a lot to keep up with. The Los Angeles Lakers made a shocking blockbuster trade to acquire Luka Doncic over the weekend, a move that turned the NBA landscape upside down. But then, in a move of their own, the San Antonio Spurs took a big step forward in acquiring De'Aaron Fox from the Sacramento Kings.

No, this trade may not make them a championship favorite over night, but it certainly puts them a step ahead of the teams they had previously been battling for position with in the Western Conference standings. There are additional moves to be made for this Spurs team, but they can still be thrilled at how far they have come. Victor Wembanyama now finally has an All-Star caliber teammate, and San Antonio will continue building.

As they do so, the Spurs are monitoring the rest of the league and their moves. One move they have to be pretty thrilled at is seeing the Milwaukee Bucks trading away Khris Middleton in exchange for the Washington Wizards' Kyle Kuzma. You might ask why I say that, given how far Middleton's level of play has fallen.

Having a star player make roster decisions has historically not worked

The answer is twofold. The first reason being that the Bucks have now dealt away a member of their championship team from 2021. No matter how much Middleton had declined, he was still one of the guys who had been with that team to the promised land, and now he will move on to greener pastures.

The second reason being that this move was apparently at least partly made on behalf of Giannis Antetokounmpo's wishes. While it is nice to get your star player the guys that he wants on his team, letting his opinions rise above the rest may not always be the best option.

We know this is true from watching LeBron James play GM for years with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Lakers. For example, he supposedly wanted Russell Westbrook on the team back in 2021, and we all know how that experiment turned out. That is not to say that a player doesn't sometimes know best, but it is simply a dangerous game to play.

Now the Bucks will have to work to incorporate Kuzma onto their roster, and Giannis is not getting any younger. This acquisition is not a clear ceiling-raiser for Milwaukee, and Spurs fans have to be thrilled to see it unfold.