Giannis Antetokounmpo has been the target of trade speculation ever since the Bucks were ousted in the first round of the playoffs, but a rival general manager indicated that Milwaukee hasn’t been willing to discuss deals involving the two-time MVP.
Appearing Friday on ESPN Radio’s Houston affiliate (YouTube link, hat tip to Ben DuBose of Rockets Wire), Rockets GM Rafael Stone said he wasn’t able to make any headway on a major deal with the Bucks. League rules preclude Stone from commenting on specific players, but he responded to a question from the hosts about “the big man from Greece in Milwaukee.”
“I deal well with (Bucks general manager) Jon Horst, I really like him,” Stone said. “Jon was very clear that they weren’t doing anything. So that was that.”
Numerous stories have indicated that the Bucks don’t plan to pursue an Antetokounmpo trade unless he requests one. There have been multiple reports this summer that Antetokounmpo is still assessing his future in Milwaukee to determine if he can win a title there, but he hasn’t made any public comments to indicate that he wants out.
Antetokounmpo is currently focused on representing Greece in EuroBasket, which ends a couple weeks before the start of NBA training camps, so it’s probably too late in the offseason for him to ask for a trade. His current contract runs through the 2026/27 season, and he holds a $62.8MM player option for the following year.
Horst has been aggressively maneuvering to keep the Bucks in title contention in an effort to convince Antetokounmpo to stay. With Damian Lillard lost for next season with an Achilles tear, Horst waived and stretched the $112.6MM that Lillard had left on his contract for the next two years, creating enough cap space to sign center Myles Turner away from Indiana.
Horst also added Gary Harris, Jericho Sims and Cole Anthony through free agency and re-signed free agents Bobby Portis, Gary Trent Jr., Kevin Porter Jr., Ryan Rollins and Taurean Prince.
After all this meaningless speculation by sports media, somehow, Horst wasn’t interested in trading a generational talent who wanted to stay with the team.
Kind of late in the off season to be requesting a trade. So many pieces and salary moved around the nba.
Why aren’t Bucks talking to Brogdon. Or trying for Grimes in a sign-n-trade or Kuminga. Even Beasley now ……
I thought for sure Spurs would go after Giannis. Bucks could have rebuilt in one year. I was more sure of this than KD going to Rockets. As it is. Rockets got a good deal. Don’t get what Bucks are waiting for. They have no top picks. And no real cap space coming. They are only wasting time at this point. Theirs and Giannis.
The Bucks aren’t talking to Brogdon because
1. He has something lined up with Golden State (they have roster spots and possibly more than the minimum to offer).
2. They already have all their roster spots filled (plus Amir Coffey competing with Andre Jackson)
3. They already have KPJ, Trent, and Green who are all better / healthier players.
Beasley might be okay returning to MIL on the minimum in a worst case scenario (but probably not since he had a down year there), but surely will prioritize whoever can offer the most money and opportunity given how his free agency went off the rails.