CHICAGO — It’s time for the Chicago Bulls to start hunting for big trades.

The early rounds of the NBA playoffs are the most illuminating weeks of the season. It’s when the cracks begin to show, when players and front offices reach breaking points and begin to search for solutions.

And for teams stuck on the sidelines — like the Bulls, who missed the playoffs for the third year in a row — these fissures offer a glimpse at potential paths forward for new deals.

One obvious name is at the top of every team’s list this year: Giannis Antetokounmpo.

The nine-time All-Star and two-time MVP averaged 30.4 points and 11.9 rebounds for the Milwaukee Bucks this season. He delivered an NBA championship to Milwaukee in 2021 and has continued to dominate despite several injuries in the ensuing years.

Antetokounmpo, 30, has been uniquely invested in Milwaukee, the city where he was drafted as a teenager in 2013. But this season showed potential for a future fracture.

The experiment of pairing Antetokounmpo with Damian Lillard ended in anguish when Lillard tore his Achilles during the first round of the playoffs. And the Bucks’ exit in a 4-1 gentleman’s sweep by the Indiana Pacers showcased their inability to compete even in a weakened Eastern Conference.

The Bucks lack the draft picks and free-agency firepower to assemble a new contender around Antetokounmpo. So their only way out of this predicament is also the hardest — trading the star who elevated the team for a decade.

Even through difficult rebuilding years, Antetokounmpo has been steadfast in his commitment to the Bucks. But that doesn’t matter to the other 29 teams in the league. Even the slightest sign of discomfort is enough to get every executive to pick up the phone.

The idea of acquiring Antetokounmpo is tantalizing. And it’s certainly not new for Bulls fans, who have been dreaming of the “Greek Freak” in a red and black jersey ever since he playfully suggested during a 2022 news conference that “maybe one day I play for Chicago.”

So could he make sense in Chicago — and do the Bulls even have enough to offer to get the Bucks to the table?

The Bulls would need to give up serious capital to accomplish such a trade — both to entice the Bucks into a deal and to make room under the salary cap for Antetokounmpo, who is owed $54.1 million next season and more than $175 million over the three remaining years on his contract.

Trading for Antetokounmpo would mean sacrificing the bulk of the Bulls’ young core. That starts with Coby White and Josh Giddey, their two most promising players.

White has one year left on an incredibly team-friendly three-year, $36 million deal, but his price undoubtedly will go up when he hits unrestricted free agency in 2026. Giddey, a restricted free agent this summer, is expected to re-sign with the Bulls for close to $20 million annually. That duo represents the Bulls’ highest future potential — and two of their greatest long-term salary commitments.

The Bucks likely wouldn’t stop there, perhaps looking to plunder young players such as Ayo Dosunmu and Matas Buzelis to flesh out a restart without Antetokounmpo. And they also surely would seek a high quantity of first-round draft picks, of which the Bulls own at least one for the next seven seasons.

This also wouldn’t be a trade in which the Bulls could offload players who are a poor fit for the current roster, such as center Nikola Vučević and forward Patrick Williams. The Bucks would be looking to begin a new, young era, so Vučević likely wouldn’t fit their vision. And Williams has lost almost all of his trade value after another lackluster season in which he was benched in favor of Buzelis before the All-Star break.

So in this scenario, the Bulls would surround Antetokounmpo with the haphazard frontcourt of Vučević and Williams along with the least valuable members of their young core. And they would give up a significant chunk of their future draft capital, limiting their options to build organically around their new star.

Acquiring Antetokounmpo would make the Bulls a more desirable destination for free agents, which would be a welcome change from recent years. But this setup doesn’t fit the win-now environment Antetokounmpo would be seeking if he leaves Milwaukee. And it also doesn’t follow the path that executive vice president of basketball operations Artūras Karnišovas charted for the Bulls’ slow build at the end of another losing season.

At the end of the day, this likely won’t be an issue. While the Bulls don’t have the worst package to offer for Antetokounmpo, they aren’t necessarily a top suitor. According to a report by The Ringer, Antetokounmpo is most interested in Los Angeles, New York and Miami as possible trade destinations.

Still, this conversation clarifies an obvious shortcoming on the Bulls roster. This team needs a star. This city needs a star. It has been too long since the Bulls had a true high-octane superstar — the type that regularly drives end-of-season award debates. And without that type of talent, it’s hard to imagine how the Bulls will regain relevancy in the East or the NBA at large.

Antetokounmpo likely won’t be the only star available on the trade market this summer. Zion Williamson, Kevin Durant and possibly even Nikola Jokić headline a laundry list of “what if?” scenarios for the offseason.

The Bulls could and should throw themselves into any of these bidding wars. And their success in making a trade — or lack thereof — will inform how the front office should approach upcoming seasons as it attempts to bring some real star power back to Chicago.

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