Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo has become open-minded about considering opportunities outside of Milwaukee for the first time in his career, sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN.
Teams have routinely called to check on Antetokounmpo’s potential availability in recent years, and that process is expected to intensify as they gather in Chicago this week for the draft combine, Charania adds.
Antetokounmpo’s representatives, Giorgios Panou and Alex Saratsis, will meet with Bucks officials at some point to discuss the team’s future and determine whether Milwaukee is still the best fit for their client, according to Charania’s sources. The Bucks are reportedly resistant toward the idea of trading Antetokounmpo, who is still under contract through the 2026/27 season and holds a $62.8MM player option for the following year, and are unlikely to pursue a deal unless he requests it.
Speculation about a possible Antetokounmpo trade has been rampant since the Bucks were eliminated by the Pacers last month, marking the third straight year they have been ousted in the first round. Antetokounmpo has been open about his desire to add another championship to the one he captured in 2021, and there are doubts regarding whether he still has any hope of achieving that in Milwaukee.
The situation became more dire with the torn left Achilles that Damian Lillard suffered in Game 4 of the Indiana series. Lillard underwent surgery last week and faces a lengthy rehab process that could force him to miss all of next season. That would leave the Bucks without a second star to team with Antetokounmpo and little chance to acquire one as Lillard remains on the books for $54.1MM next season with a $58.5MM player option for 2026/27.
Charania notes that Antetokounmpo, a finalist for MVP honors, just completed one of the best seasons of his career, averaging 30.4 points, 11.9 rebounds and 6.5 assists in 67 games while shooting 60.1% from the field. He raised those numbers in the playoffs, posting 33 points, 15.4 rebounds and 6.6 assists per night in the five-game loss.
Antetokounmpo has established himself as one of the greatest players in Bucks history since being selected with the 15th pick in the 2013 draft. He’s a two-time MVP and a nine-time All-Star, and he delivered the team’s first NBA title in 50 years.
According to Charania, Milwaukee’s .663 winning percentage since 2018/19 is the best in the league. However, the Bucks only have one playoff series victory since their 2021 championship season.
If Antetokounmpo goes on the market, teams that can offer young talent and a stockpile of draft assets are considered to be the most likely destinations. The Rockets, Spurs, Thunder and Nets have already been mentioned prominently in trade speculation, but Milwaukee’s front office would likely hear offers from all 29 rival teams.
Charania notes that the Bucks have an opportunity to remake their roster this summer, with Kyle Kuzma, A.J. Green, Andre Jackson, Chris Livingston and Tyler Smith joining Antetokounmpo and Lillard as the only players currently under contract. Bobby Portis, Pat Connaughton and Kevin Porter Jr. hold player options for next season, and they could decide to join Brook Lopez, Taurean Prince and Gary Trent Jr. as free agents.
However, the Bucks are already facing cap concerns as Antetokounmpo, Lillard and Kuzma will earn roughly $130MM of the $164MM they already have committed for 2025/26. General manager Jon Horst has limited draft assets to offer in any trade, with the franchise not controlling any of its first-round picks until 2031.
Charania notes that the Bucks were able to escape the second apron with the Kuzma trade in February, but they still have limited breathing room heading into the summer. They’re currently about $23MM below the luxury tax and $41MM away from a return to the second apron for next season.
Charania points out that even a modest offseason that includes re-signing Lopez, using the $14.1MM non-taxpayer midlevel exception and filling out the roster with minimum-salary signees would put Milwaukee into tax territory for the sixth straight year.
Entirely league-driven narrative. All to hopefully encourage Milwaukee to send a top 5 player to a place he can b3 heavily marketed. And the media is enlisted in th3 effort. What a disgusting league.
How is it league driven? They drafted poorly, traded for Kuzma, and Dame got a massive injury while on a massive contract. Writings on the wall with MIL and there is probably not a single path that leads to a title with Giannis on that roster ever again. So seems entirely fair after he was a good soldier for so long to let him play the rest of his prime on a team with a chance…
They had only 2 first round picks since 2019 and only whiffed on one of them, who they traded for their likely starting PG next fall and an important playoff contributor, so not that poor.
The path that leads Milwaukee back to title contention this summer starts with them trading their 2031 and 2032 firsts, using their $7m trade exception this summer, and their full MLE.
They have traded picks on draft day and aimed for players that havent worked.
They have pretty much made nothing but bad trades since the title. I am including the Dame deal in that.
The team isnt allowed to trade 2 consecutive picks so they cant do that. They also are way too far into the tax to be allowed a full MLE if they resign any FA which you would need to do if you keep Giannis.
So with no ability to trade more than the 1 first, that becomes trade eligible this summer, they are looking at no assets, and only min signings. You also cant use TPE if your in the tax. Looking at BOS/IND/CLE how in the f*** do you get anywhere close to them with this roster, and Dames salary sitting on the bench all year? This looks like a lottery team WITH Giannis and I would bet you any amount of money MIL misses the playoffs next year with or without Giannis.
Wrong. You can use the TPE if you’re a taxpayer. It hard caps you at the first apron. The Bucks are $28m under the first apron this summer and will be even more if Portis opts out or they don’t guarantee some young guys.
Stupid to call the Dame deal bad. They got him for Holiday, 2 swaps, and a first. Holiday wasn’t helping them repeat.
Obviously they can’t trade consecutive picks, one would have to be a swap. That goes without saying. In 2031 and 2032 Giannis will be 36–37 if he’s still even around, so we’re talking two top 5 picks. The best two picks available this summer.
But if you wanna bet your life savings they’ll miss the playoffs with Giannis, I’ll take that lmao. He’s a top 3 player, those teams don’t miss when they’re healthy.
Your Bucks hate is showing.
status quo business from the NBA as usual
Can they re-hire Adrian Griffin after he leaves?
Kuzma, Ryan Rollins and Kevin Porter will save us……..come on Bucks management
Here comes the fan bad trade ideas thinking your team will get him for a free throw away players. Bucks trade him they are on a rebuild so starting point will be 5 1st rounders and young up and coming players.
Teams that could offer 5 FRPs.
OKC, Brooklyn, Utah, Houston, Charlotte, Washington, Orlando, Memphis, Toronto, San Antonio, New Orleans, Sacramento, Detroit.
You can scratch off Brooklyn, Utah, Charlotte, Memphis, Sacramento and New Orleans because they don’t have enough young talent (forgive my ignorance I’m not experts on all these teams, I could be mistaken about your favorite). Orlando, Detroit and Washington probably aren’t willing to part with the type of talent we’re looking for.
That leaves – OKC, Houston, San Antonio and, maybe, Toronto with enough draft capital and available/appealing young talent. Seems like Giannis is staying unless he forces his way out because none of those teams seem anxious to empty the cupboard for anyone.
Edit – OKCs picks aren’t great when you look at protections and length of time to convey. San Antonio is rough unless you include Castle and Toronto just doesn’t have a single asset that’s a center piece. Houston would have to outbid themselves to make a package even remotely acceptable for Giannis.
If OKC loses in the playoffs you will see them make a run at him and they have enough picks and young player. More like a 70% chance he stays with the Bucks. Bucks are in a good position to wait out a great deal. They can wait for a over pay for him. My feelings is this would be the perfect time to do a rebuild for the Bucks and could put them back into the playoffs soon. Llirad is $54 million dead money next year. There is very few contracts on the team holding them back. Could be a quick rebuild for teh future especially if they could get #1 pick Cooper in the draft.
They have a lot of future picks that are protected or their own where they wont be good.
The biggest problem is they have too many good contracts where you have to give up 3-5 of your real role players that you want to keep to match Giannis contract.
If they add Holmgren to the package who i am not real high on it could happen.
I would think More Jalen Williams. He is a wing they could either build around or flip for more assets if they go maximum teardown. Chet is nice, but his value is harder for me to pin down. You also need like 54M in matching so thats a complication.
Only way the Bucks trade Giannis is if they are going to do a massive rebuild. Would love to see the warriors be part of a 3 way trade so Bucks get Kuminga in a sign and trade to replace Giannis and the warriors get some pieces back
I still think GSW has easily one of the 3 best packages for one of the teams that could contend. Im not so high on HOU especially after whatever salary matching gets him in the door, they just have no shooting on the roster thats playable.
GSW have 4+3 swaps. They also would move Jimmy in the deal, who has rehabbed his value enough to get a couple firsts back sending him to a 3rd team ,so you can build a package around mostly picks with multiple teams picks mixed in.
OKC has mostly ok protected picks that dont count the same, and their own wont be good. If they are willing to include J Will then they might get some traction especially if they also put in someone like Wiggins/Joe, who are on really attractive contracts for role players on title teams, so you could keep Jalen as the centerpiece of the rebuild and flip the rest of the package for more assets along with the picks they recieve.
Nobody wants Spurs picks in the next 7 years with Wemby on the roster.
Hou has some good ones, but they probably dont want to give up any young players and your paying me to take Jalen if Im MIL where he costs you extra picks to dump his 110M. The problem with HOU is Giannis is a bad fit who probably wouldnt want to go there since they have no shooting now and less with him taking Greens salary slot. I expect them to keep Amen and be trying to keep Sengun.
BRK isnt a contender and isnt Giannis away from being a contender so I really doubt he wants to go to BRK.
MEM is a contending team out of the others you named, but doesnt have nearly the assets.
No other lottery team has a chance unless they want to offer Flagg
Giannis has always been exactly what a team would want him to be, and brought MIL a championship, so I doubt they send him to a team like BRK where he also isnt contending and doesnt want to be. This is one of those where he will be able to steer his way to somewhere good or else he might just stay. You need a team able to contend now after trading for Giannis thats dealing future assets to get him.
San Antonio has a few Hawks picks that aren’t terrible. But I struggle to see many teams that have picks, young talent and would be a better situation that MIL. It’s a tight needle to thread for MIL. Also Iko and Amick’s piece implies the Rockets do not view Green as a negative asset like a lot of fans do. I think it remains to be seen if there’s a similar view in front offices around the league. Theoretically a few view him in a positive light so if MIL doesn’t like him three way deals open up? But with Sengun it’s not a clean fit in Houston either. Giannis is a tight spot. I suppose Golden State actually makes sense, I hadn’t considered them.
SA has one Hawks pick this year with low odds of jumping into the top 4 and one next season when the Hawks will be at least avg unless things change in a big way for them.
They dont have any picks you would look at as being even likely lottery picks because most are their own, and Wemby…
I said a couple weeks back that OKC has the young talent and picks to land Giannis. I think another point in their favor is youth and they’ll still have a lot of picks. They are later picks. But, Presti seems to have an eye for talent. OKC could look for draft and stash players. Jokic, Draymond and I’m sure you could find others were all 2nd round picks. They could give them time to develop while Giannis and Company were terrorizing the NBA.
OKC has so much talent they could only trade 1 draft pick if they added Holmgren to the deal. just amazing how much talent that team has with so many draft picks. Add Curso, Joe, and Wiggins or a Williams in the deal there is no way Bucks could turn down that deal.
Rockets would be a strange fit, but when a superstar is available, you gotta take your shot. Only two players that are off the table are likely Sengun and Amen. FVV sounds like hell be back. Mix and match 3-4 of their rotational players (plus whitmore and shepherd) and all of phoenix’s picks + whatever other 1st round draft cap Houston can send to max the return of picks for Milwaukee.
I doubt there are any off limits players when it comes to giannis, except maybe Anthony Edwards. The rockets would be fools to pass on a deal because sengun or amen are off limits. Granted, I would push for a deal centered around Jalen green but wouldn’t hang up if they said they wanted amen or sengun.
Amen is really good now and on below market contracts for the next 6 years, so unless they want to do Amen a couple picks and salary filler I doubt you have both Amen and lots of picks.
Players like Luka/Steph/SGA etc are off limits
You may have to pay someone to take Green and his 3/110 after what he did in the playoffs. I think his contract has a trade kicker of at least 15% too.
Sengun would be Part of the deal. You can’t have those 3 play together anyway as all 3 need the lane no spacing.
Lakers get: Draymond Green
Suns get: Jimmy Butler
Bucks get: Austin Reaves, Jonathan Kuminga, Brandin Podziemski, Moses Moody, Trayce Jackson-Davis and picks
Warriors get: Giannis and KD + whoever else to salary match
Makes all teams way better
Wow! There’s delusional/terrible and then there is this suggestion…
He will never give up on pretending the warriors will get Giannis.
Well its not “pretending” but nope, I will not give up hoping the Warriors get him!
I think they are one of the 5 most suited to do it since Giannis wont get traded to a team like the Jazz that has lots of picks and nothing else. They will ship him to at least something resembling a contender, because he would just stay in MIL over going to Utah I think.
GSW are one of the only contenders who also has a full cupboard of draft picks. Also I think GSW 1sts that are past the Steph career window are very very valuable. If theres a team your betting against their future right now picks after Steph retires are way way up there in value behind only maybe Suns picks.
It just wont be these insane trades like Davey says it would be Butler to a 3rd team and like 6-7 1sts 2 swaps plus Kuminga if the Bucks want him for Giannis. GSW is one of the few that most of the assets teams would want are not current roster players on a playoff team, so you have a good team now and future assets the Bucks would want. Giannis probably has playing with Steph pretty high on his bingo card too so I wouldnt be at all shocked if he is one of like 3 teams Giannis would want a trade too.
I was going to say that does anyone want to point out to him that the NBA has a salary cap. The starting 5 alone would make $200 million; it is something like $185. The other 13 players on the roster, 10 standard contracts and 3 2-way, would be GLeaguers. Kerr could clone Pat Spencer. SMALL BALL CITY!!!. Hysterical.
@Casor_Greener – unless you propose trades of your own, please do not comment on others. Same goes for everyone. This is the trade rumors website, either be a boss and make up trades in here, or stay quiet. Making reply guy comments on others trades, when you are too cowardly to come up with and post ideas yourself, means you are a bad poster. Thanks!
Too bad your trades will never happen. Like ever…
Nope, being a bad poster is posting the same homerish trade ideas and calling people names for rightfully pointing out how dumb they are. Go back to Warriors Reddit
If you don’t want criticism, don’t post. The Lakers No. 1 need is a Center. Draymond has said it himself that he not a Center. So, why would Lakers trade for Draymond?
“Makes the Bucks way better” trading Giannis for a bunch of role players, get real
Austin Reaves “role player” = you dont know ball lil bro
You keep calling me lil bro and saying I don’t know ball when you’re constantly posting the stupidest Warriors homer trade ideas that everyone here recognizes are brain rotted. Pot meet kettle
He is also expiring. AR wasnt super valuable because he was a top 30 player in the league, it was because he was a top 75 player on a top 350 players contract. They got him for a song, and have used up his cheap years themselves.
OKC, dubs and raps make most sense.
Okc the only team with picks and young talent. If they win it all this year they will not trade for another max and older guy.
Raps would have to put Barnes in because Ingram is not that guy.
Dubs don’t have picks and they don’t play Kuminga enough to showcase.
GSW have every future pick besides selections 20-30 on their 30 pick going to WAS, but they can trade that pick for 1-19. They owe this seasons meh pick too but by the offseason have another one.
Kuminga has some value, but its really hard to peg. They may want him as a young player to rebuild around, but you also have to pay him.
Butler is matching salary making almost exactly what Giannis does, and after how good he has been with the Warriors should bring back a couple more draft picks to include from a 3rd contender.
I highly doubt the Warriors will trade Kuminga. Doesn’t make sense.
I have Spurs being the team that gets Giannis. Castle/Johnson/Vassell and maybe HB along with with multiple picks. Wemby/Giannis will be the greatest front court ever seen in the history of the NBA then.
Fox/Giannis/Wemby would be deadly.
Wemby/Giannis as the greatest front court ever seen? It’s only going to be Wembanyama’s third season but I need to see more than untapped potential from him before I could rank that pairing anywhere near that of Robinson/Duncan or Bird/McHale/Parrish
Robinson was 33 by the time Duncan arrived. Bird/McHale/Parrish is #1 for me but we have prime Giannis at 30, who is 3 years younger than Robinson was. Also, Giannis is still putting up MVP numbers, and Wemby is arguably the best young defender we have ever seen. It’s not too early to say that would be a top 3-top 5 front line tandem ever but I see your logic. Both need to stay healthy and productive.
They dont have very good draft assets actually. They have 2 Atlanta picks, but unless the one this year jumps to 1 or 2 it isnt worth much, and Atlanta looks like they wont be a bottom feeder next season so its not going to be that high. They have a couple good swaps.
The problem is the Spurs mostly have their own picks, and while those were very valuable 2 years ago, nobody is valuing those as anything above 25th with Wemby/Fox and then Giannis under contract for the next decade almost.
The Bucks have to get younger and quicker. If Giannis moving elsewhere and it’s done right, it’s possible but I’m not holding my breath.
It depends on what the Bucks want? Wings? Big men? Picks with expiring contracts? Milwaukee isn’t really a big time destination for NBA free agents. So I’m interested to see what their agenda is if they trade Giannis.
You go OKC route and rent your cap space while flipping players for more picks, and then flipping the players you get back for more but worse picks, until you buy out the ones nobody wants.
I’ll believe it when i see it.
Murray/Gordon/Porter for Giannis
Sign Luka in 2026
Jokic
Giannis
Luka
5 peat.
lmao I love it
Murray = bad contract
Gordon = due for an extension or soon to be FA
Porter = hurt and bad contract
What assets are you giving up? I mean this looks like your losing Gordon to clear your books, and have cap room, and Giannis I dont think thats happening, ever.
Luka will get traded or sign an extension. Thats what happens now with stars. The last one to actually reach FA was Kawhi 6 years ago now. Teams either extend or trade the player to somewhere that will extend on all super stars now.
I have no idea what Milwaukee would want but if I am randomly guessing, I think Toronto is a great fit for Giannis.
First off, it’s an international city and keeps him in the East which I would think he would prefer, plus Toronto has draft assets and players to make a deal.
Just my guess. Lakers want him, but just dont have the assets. Nobody wants Bronny and Lebron will not agree to a trade unless it’s to GS with Steph and Draymond.
Lebron is keeping the Lakers from getting their dream team of Luka and Giannis.
I think whoever gets Cooper Flagg could offer him for Giannis right from the jump
No doubt. It will be interesting if that team is Utah.
Lauri and Flagg for Giannis would be a huge risk/reward if Utah was down to spend money to put the right guys around Giannis
Giannis is never going to Utah lol.
Why would Giannis want to go to Utah? They deal Flagg for him along with Lauri because he is probably the only way to matching salary. So Giannis gets to play with who? And contends how?
Giannis has earned enough equity that they wont just ship him to basketball Siberia to never make the playoffs again.
He cant contend with TOR because they are not a playoff team while playing in the dumpster fire conference that only really has 4 good teams.
Giannis wants to go to a contender. I dont know what that junk in TOR is that missed the playoffs while being close to the second apron in salaries for the next several years, but I dont think Giannis thinks thats the team he can get a ring with.
Bronny isnt even a throw in. They have 1 future pick and Austin Reeves thats pretty much it. LeBron can just opt out and leave for nothing if he wants, so yeah he could get himself just about anywhere he wants to go.
As I said it was a guess.
I really dont like what TOR is doing roster wise lols. So many mediocre to bad contracts getting a mediocre to bad team almost to the second apron. BI aint the savior for that mess.
The Pelicans control the Bucks future as far as 1st round draft picks go. They have swaps in 2026 and 27 via the Holiday trade. If the Bucks trade Giannis and decide to tank the Bucks would almost have to work with the Pelicans if they want to control their own tank. They also have plenty of firsts to put together a compelling package. The Pelicans also have expiring contracts and young talent.