The Giannis Antetokounmpo-Milwaukee Bucks marriage is finally over, and considering they won the 2021 NBA Championship, you can't say that it wasn't a success.

However, you could argue that it wasn't as successful as it could have. Yes, they did what every team aspires to achieve, but that was their only Finals appearance, and in the five years after winning it all, the Bucks only won one playoff series.

A lot of teams would be happy with championship in a decade. But when you have a perennial MVP candidate like Antetokounmpo on your team, you basically need to be a dynasty to keep your star happy.

To their credit, the Bucks did a great job of trading for guys like Jrue Holiday and, later, Damian Lillard to give Antetokounmpo a worthwhile supporting cast. But one thing they never did was nail their draft picks. Doing this would have certiantly improved their chances of keeping Antetokounmpo happy, especially if they stuck with their gut during the 2024 NBA Draft.

The Bucks could have had Ajay Mitchell

After drafting Antetokounmpo in 2013, the only picks that have really worked out for them are Malcom Brogdon, Jabari Parker, and Donte DiVincenzo. That means that the team went through eight drafts (from 2018 to 2025) without selecting someone who could help Antetokounmpo.

Too be fair, the Bucks had to trade a lot of picks to get guys like Holiday and Lillard, but you know what pick they didn't trade away? The 23rd pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, which they used to pick AJ Johnson. There was reason to be intrigued by Johnson at the time, but he hasn't really panned out in the league yet. This season will be his third, and he's already on his fourth different team.

Besides, one of the players they were considering taking with this spot is looking like arguably the best player in this class.

On a recent episode of "The Young Man and the Three," Jalen Williams, Jared McCain, and Ajay Mitchell joined the host, Tommy Alter. During the group interview, Mitchell gave us some interesting intel from his pre-draft process (as shown in the tweet above).

Mitchell has been one of the Thunder's great draft finds. Despite being selected with the 38th overall pick, he has already emerged as one of the best bench players in the entire league. Last season, Mitchell ranked third among all players from his draft class in Estimated Plus-Minus (minimum 20 games played, sorry Zach Edey), behind only Stephon Castle and Donovan Clingan (per Dunks & Threes).

This isn't some hindsight is 20/20, what if the Minnesota Timberwolves didn't pass on Stephen Curry twice sort of thing. The Bucks seriously considered taking Mitchell with the 23rd overall pick, and could have given him even more usage than the Thunder are offering him right now.

It's hard to imagine what the Bucks' roster looks like if they drafted Mitchell instead of Johnson. But at the very least, they have a tantalizing young backcourt in him and Rollins to keep Antetokounmpo excited, much in the same vein that Victor Wembanyama has Dylan Harper and Stephon Castle. The Bucks also have AJ Green, who plays well with Antetokounmpo (and is a freaking stud role player), and they wouldn't have had to waste roster spots taking flyers on guys like Cole Anthony if they already had Mitchell.

There is no guarantee that Mitchell would have developed the same way in Milwaukee that he did in Oklahoma CIty, and there also is no one decision the Bucks made that drove Antetokounmpo away. But who knows, maybe Mitchell would have been enough to keep Antetokounmpo in town after all.