can giannis antetokounmpo Finally moving out of Milwaukee?
ESPN’s Shams Charania It was reported on Wednesday that the Bucks are linking up with teams On potential deals for the two-time NBA Most Valuable Player, the door has been opened to the possibility that Antetokounmpo – currently out with a calf strain – plays the final game of his Hall of Fame career with the team that drafted him in 2013.
After Milwaukee’s 139-122 loss at Philadelphia on Tuesday night, the Bucks are now tied charlotte hornets 11th in the East standings – a full three and a half games behind atlanta hawks For 10th place, and with it the final play-in spot in the conference.
More importantly, the loss leaves Milwaukee tied for seventh place in the NBA Draft Lottery standings — and, now with a 3-12 record without Antetokounmpo this season, there are plenty of opportunities left for the Bucks to put themselves in an even better position to get lucky in the 2026 NBA Draft class.
A trading season has seen only one move so far – the deal that sent trey young till washington wizards As early as this month – waiting for such a catalyst to potentially emerge.
What does this mean for the Bucks, Antetokounmpo and the rest of the NBA? Our NBA insider gives the full breakdown here.
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Why is Giannis ready to move on now? What changed after his recent comments?
Antetokounmpo’s frustrations have persisted throughout the season.
He entered the 2025–26 season intent on giving Milwaukee a chance to build a competitive team around himself. But as the Bucks have fallen down in the Eastern Conference standings, Antetokounmpo has become more forceful in his criticisms.
A week earlier, he had told his teammates to “not work hard, not play to win, not play together,” adding that “the chemistry is gone and people are getting selfish.” The Bucks lost again in their first game on Tuesday as Antetokounmpo sustained his latest calf strain, dropping them to 12th in the East and putting even the play-in tournament out of reach.
For a team that is 3-12 this year without its best player, it has become clear that Milwaukee will not be able to salvage this season. — Jamal Collier
Wait, haven’t the Bucks talked to teams about a trade before?
For a brief window last summer, the Bucks and new York Knicks Engaged in discussions about a potential Antetokounmpo trade. Sources told ESPN that New York never believed that Milwaukee seriously considered the idea of moving Antetokounmpo then, and those in Milwaukee believe that New York never made a strong enough offer to continue discussing a trade.
The Bucks took up the Knicks’ call on Antetokounmpo for a special negotiation window when New York emerged as the only destination he wanted to play for outside of Milwaukee, sources told Charania over the summer, but Milwaukee said its superstar was unavailable for the first half of the ’25-26 season. League sources have long believed it would take a more forceful effort from Antetokounmpo to force an exit.
Despite a stop in New York a few months ago, Antetokounmpo has been more open about his future and is not expected to focus on any one destination. — tinkling
What are the initial talks regarding the league?
For a few different reasons, the NBA has been in a collective holding pattern for several weeks waiting to see what will happen with the Antetokounmpo situation.
Injuries to Antetokounmpo, anthony davisJimmy Butler and ja morant Milwaukee’s apparent hesitation to move its superstars, combined with the difficulty in pursuing huge contracts under the constraints of the collective bargaining agreement and the lack of available draft capital outside of a handful of teams in the NBA – has stalled the trade market.
Instead of teams struggling to find short-term fixes, potential contenders for a star are waiting to see what happens with Antetokounmpo — and, if he’s not moved now, they’ll simply wait until the offseason and see what happens then.
But for all the complexities, an Antetokounmpo trade is not only the kind of thing a team would turn themselves into pretzels to make happen, but it’s the kind of move that could set off a domino effect — which is why every conversation with league sources over the past month has started and ended with some variation of, “Okay, what’s going on with Giannis?”
And, if nothing changes between now and February 5 at 3 p.m., the same conversation will continue through the summer — Tim Bontemps
How did Giannis and the Bucks get to this point?
By maximizing the roster’s potential over and over again. You have to give Bucks general manager Jon Horst credit for being aggressive with his trades over the last several years junior holiday And then damian lillard And then forgive and pull Lillard this summer, then go miles turner.
However, the net worth of all those moves is a Milwaukee roster that is devoid of talent and a cupboard of assets that is virtually empty for the next few seasons.
That’s often the price a team pays for repeatedly trying to accommodate the needs of a superstar like Antetokounmpo. But it’s also not clear that a player like him will ever come to Milwaukee again – after all, there was 50 years between titles for the Bucks, and it took several generations to surpass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s standard as the best player in Bucks history (in terms of total contribution to Milwaukee) due to Antetokounmpo’s incredible performance with the franchise.
But there’s at least a chance the Bucks can try to do it again with Antetokounmpo still on the roster. Milwaukee will receive its lesser pick and New Orleans’ pick in June’s NBA draft. That pick could realistically be a top five pick.
The Bucks will have a bunch of flotsam salary, and some future draft picks, to try to add talent to the roster, and see if that’s enough to convince Antetokounmpo to stay long-term.
But past bills eventually come due. And for Milwaukee, a team now sitting just out of the play-in spot in the East, that means it’s time for a tough conversation about the future — assuming Antetokounmpo isn’t ready to commit himself to the franchise again. — bontemps
Which teams might have players/selected for a Giannis trade?
That question depends on what Milwaukee wants to accomplish.
Based on first-round picks alone, Oklahoma City, Brooklyn, Charlotte, Memphis, Sacramento, Utah and Washington have the most offers.
Those seven teams control 50% of tradable firsts over the next seven years. But that doesn’t mean the Thunder are going to give up their championship and go after Antetokounmpo. The Nets have the first-round draft capital and contracts to match, but Antetokounmpo may be walking into an even worse roster than the one he left in Milwaukee.
As we wrote in the recent Giannis trade guide, there are 11 teams, including Atlanta, Detroit, Golden State, Houston, Miami, Minnesota, New York, Portland, San Antonio and Toronto, who have the combination of draft picks and players to tempt the Bucks into a deal.
The Trail Blazers are an interesting matchup or potential third team as they control Milwaukee’s first-round picks from 2028 to 2030.
Potential Golden State trade for Antetokounmpo would likely be last chance to win a championship Stephen Curry On warriors. However, to make such a trade, Golden State would likely have to trade the injured Jimmy Butler and if not all of their first-round picks. They are allowed to trade up to four.
Another factor to keep in mind: Teams interested in Antetokounmpo will need a comfort level on wanting to extend his contract in the offseason. Antetokounmpo is eligible to do so beginning on October 1, when he can sign up for a four-year, $275M extension. — bobby marks
What type of trade package should Milwaukee look for in an Antetokounmpo trade?
There should be three goals: get young, rebuild your draft assets and get players who can win now.
The Bucks are the fifth oldest team in the NBA and have built their roster entirely through trades and low-cost signings. Outside of Antetokounmpo and andre jackson jr., there are no players on the roster who were drafted by Milwaukee.
Trading a franchise player should signal that the Bucks are ready to go all the way down through the draft and rebuild. But unless Milwaukee can acquire its first-round picks from New Orleans and Portland over the next four years, the goal should be to acquire players on manageable contracts who can help in the future.
The Pelicans own the Bucks’ firsts through 2027 and the Blazers have the right to swap firsts in 2028 and 2030. They also have the first and least favorable 2029 picks out of Boston and Milwaukee.
Recent trades to improve the roster around Antetokounmpo have left Milwaukee without a first-round pick in 2027 and 2029. He sent the last of his seconds to Charlotte this summer. Pat Connaughton Salary Dump. — Mark
1:25
Windy: Bucks need to either tank or trade Giannis
Brian Windhorst says the Bucks don’t want to actively trade Giannis Antetokounmpo right now and there’s a path for Milwaukee to “tank.”
What is Giannis looking for in a potential new team?
Antetokounmpo has been clear about one thing in his desire for the second half of his career. Still in his prime, the 31-year-old Antetokounmpo wants a team that will give him a chance to compete for a second championship.
“I just want more,” Antetokounmpo said near the start of the season. “I want to win another championship. I want to win another medal for the national team. Legacy is very important to me. …You have to play to win. I don’t play to be around and get paid.”
This makes a trade for Antetokounmpo difficult to deliver a big return for any team. A trade would need to leave enough left on the roster for Antetokounmpo to believe he can be a contender. He can still become a free agent as early as the summer of 2027. — tinkling
If Giannis is transferred before the deadline, what’s next for the Bucks?
The Bucks are already in a better position in the 2026 draft lottery than they are in the postseason.
Milwaukee will get fewer picks between itself and New Orleans, which could still put the team in position for a top-10 draft slot. Aside from Antetokounmpo, the team lacks other viable assets that would be desired around the league in a potential fire sale.
Apart from this season, the Bucks do not control their draft selection from now until 2031, which could complicate any Antetokounmpo trade talks.
And due to a lack of draft assets, the Bucks may not fully benefit from a full rebuild, which could force more retooling, at least in the immediate term. — tinkling
