As just an owner of sports franchises, Jimmy Haslam’s impact has been huge. Since buying the Cleveland Browns, Haslam has been a part of forcing the selection of QB Johnny Manziel, allowing then-OC Kyle Shanahan out of his contract, trading for QB Deshaun Watson, trading away QB Baker Mayfield, a myriad of head coaching and front office decisions, and trading DE Myles Garrett this offseason.
Earlier this offseason, Haslam promised to spend more time with another one of his teams, the NBA’s Milwaukee
Bucks. Late Monday night, the Bucks, like Haslam’s Browns with Garrett, traded their biggest superstar, Giannis Antetokounmpo.
According to all reports, Milwaukee was negotiating with both the Miami Heat and Boston Celtics, who brought totally different offers to the table. The Bucks ended up accepting the Heat’s offer of young players and draft picks over getting a star player, Jaylen Brown, and a couple of picks from the Celtics. The latter deal was more similar to Cleveland’s return for Garrett.
Haslam was reportedly influenced by his recent experiences with Garrett and Antetokounmpo in pushing for the offer from the Heat:
So, Haslam didn’t want a star player who might ask for a trade. Instead, he wanted players who maybe could become stars but wouldn’t be demanding a deal out of Milwaukee. The Browns/Bucks owner also wanted more draft assets for players who potentially could become stars down the road.
In a star-driven league with just five players on the court at all times, Haslam’s decision-making is questionable. At some point, Milwaukee will need a couple of stars if they want to get back to a championship level, and, in the NBA, those stars are likely to request/demand a trade if they are not satisfied with how the team is being built. A far bigger part of the NBA than the NFL that Haslam is used to.
