Confirming reporting from ESPN’s Shams Charania, Marc Stein and Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link) say the Timberwolves should be included among the group of teams considered serious suitors for Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Minnesota doesn’t currently have a tradable first-round pick, but Stein and Fischer hear that Antetokounmpo has “quietly had the Timberwolves in his thoughts” for some time and would be very intrigued by the possibility of teaming up with star guard Anthony Edwards. While Giannis doesn’t hold a no-trade clause, he’ll have some leverage in the Bucks’ trade talks, since any potential trade partner would be reluctant to give up a massive haul for a player who could reach free agency and head elsewhere as soon as 2027.
As Stein and Fischer observe, the Wolves weren’t willing to include forward Jaden McDaniels in an offer for Kevin Durant last year and have been reluctant to make many of their higher-paid rotation players available this season as they scour the trade market for backcourt help. But the expectation is that they’d be much more open to discussing McDaniels and others as part of a potential package for Antetokounmpo.
Surveying the market for the two-time MVP, Stein and Fischer touch on several other teams, including Philadelphia. The Sixers haven’t contacted Milwaukee about a possible Giannis deal to this point, but they’re on his radar, according to The Stein Line’s duo, who point out that Antetokounmpo and Sixers star Tyrese Maxey both work with trainer Drew Hanlen.
Here are several more Giannis-related updates:
- Antetokounmpo’s potential interest in the Heat dates back to at least 2020, when he had Miami high on his list of possible landing spots if he didn’t sign an extension with the Bucks, per Stein and Fischer. He also reportedly had interest in joining the Knicks last summer. Still, it won’t be easy for either team to win a bidding war for the star forward. According to The Stein Line, some sources around the NBA have wondered whether New York missed its window to land Giannis and believe that a complicated multi-team framework would be necessary to get him to the Knicks at this point.
- According to Stein and Fischer, several rival front offices have wondered if the Bucks are trying to establish asking prices with potential Antetokounmpo suitors now before holding a full-fledged auction in the summer, when several teams will have more tradable first-round picks available. “They’re asking for the moon,” one general manager told The Stein Line on Thursday. “All of your young players and all of your draft picks.”
- Early indications are that the Hawks haven’t entered the Antetokounmpo sweepstakes and don’t intend to, Stein and Fischer write. That echoes reporting from Sam Amick of The Athletic, who said Hawks team officials were conveying on Wednesday that they aren’t involved on Giannis and are taking a long-term approach with their roster. Forward Jalen Johnson and the Hawks’ most favorable 2026 first-round pick (either the Pelicans’ or Bucks’ selection) would be extremely valuable trade chips, but Atlanta reportedly isn’t interested in parting with either one and has some reservations about how Antetokounmpo and Johnson would fit together, per Stein and Fischer.
Going to be a full week of this … I wonder if he actually gets traded LOL
He won’t better for him to wait in off-season as he gets more power because new contract needed.
Bucks will know the picks after lottery too.
Would be a bigger return in the off-season for sure.
I’d set high asking price like this (asking for the moon according to reports)
Option 1
2 high value young players + 1 high value First
Example
Jalen Johnson + NAW + 1 First + filler
Option 2
1 high value young player + 4 Firsts + expiring contracts
Example
Jalen Johnson + 4 Firsts + expiring contracts
Hawks wouldn’t trade their best player that makes the move pointless.
Giannis fits with every player in the NBA.
Not so. You have to build your offense around Giannis, and run everything through him, unlike, say, KD or Jimmy Butler.
1. He doesn’t fit in a movement offense like, for example, the Warriors. He’s never had to learn to read and react like that offense requires.
2. He’s poor at PnR, as the experience playing with Lillard showed. Setting good screens and keeping them the right amount of time isn’t difficult to learn, but he’s not there yet.
Except for any of the current members of the Bucks roster apparently…
According to the reporters,
Both Wolves and 76ers need the third team or 4th team
McDaniel to the third team for draft picks
Paul George/picks to the third team for expiring contracts
Going to the Sixers because he has the same trainer as Maxey. BS click bait at me.
Ok, we can offer George and 1 first rounder. Maxed and VJ are too young to trade.
Have to admit it would be a championship team if Embiid could stay healthy for a 4 game championship sweep.
There’s no way to get Giannis without VJ. They’re going to need strong younger talent in the deal because Philly has picks but their own picks not elsewhere so they won’t be good picks. McCain and Bona are solid pieces but not headlining for Giannis
Sorry they have Clips in 2028 and a couple swaps from them but something like Giannis Thanasis and Trent for George, VJ, Bona, and draft capital would work
76ers received 2028 first round pick from Clippers and 2029 pick swap
76ers have only 1 own First?
76ers have better assets than Wolves
2028 from LAC. 2030 is tradable. 2032 would become tradable in offseason I believe. So they can do 2 firsts and a swap rn I guess
I still think that George 3-year contract remaining is too big for them to absorb
It’s too heavy to move to 3rd team too.
Waive Lillard
Waive George
Waive other huge contracts?
Definitely wouldn’t say 6ers have better assets than the Wolves if Vj is untouchable. Jaden McDaniels is on one of the best contracts in the league, Randle, Naz, Donte could be used in a three teamer or flipped in separate deals and two high upside fliers with TSJ and Dillingham
Based on our luck, if Giannis became a Sixer he would tear both ACLs game 1.
Not a chance…. It would be an Achilles injury for sure. Like he would be post-Achilles Elton Brand…. But it would be after he signed the 270M extension.
Then he would have a weird allergic reaction during the surgery to repair it
He’d lose both legs. But once we stretch and waived him, they grew back and he wins a Championship with San Antonio.
PG is literally a negative asset with his contract you are delusional think it would take just him and first. I mean maybe Pg McCain and multiple firsts but that package is laker fan levels of crazy
IMO
The most likely destination would be
Tier 1
Heat, Warriors
Tier 2
Hawks, Knicks
Tier 3
Wolves, 76ers
Wolves have no first round pick.
76ers have 1 real first round pick for trade -2028
The Heat don’t make it out of the East after trading for Giannis. They don’t have a good enough team.
This trade meets the Bucks’ reported asking price, as they reportedly seeking blue-chip young talent and/or a surplus of draft picks for Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Heat receive:
Giannis Antetokounmpo
Bucks receive:
Tyler Herro
Andrew Wiggins
Kel’el Ware
Kasparas Jakucionis
2029 and 2031 first-round picks
2028, 2030, and 2032 first-round swap rights
Warrors package: Bucks salary dump to Warriors
Warriors receive: Giannis, Kuzma, Portis
Bucks receive:
Kuminga (23 years old), Moody (23) and Podziemski (22), Butler, 2 Firsts and filler
@Sillivan
It’s also been reported that the Bucks have “long coveted” Andrew Wiggins.
He is headed to the Bulls. Don’t be surprised.
Giannis interested/intrigued in (insert nba team)
And in the end, there will be one massive trade at the deadline with 17 teams and 42 players.
Giannis – to Sixers
Embiid and 3 firsts – to Bucks
It’s all right, but it’s already tiresome with the Gianni’s speculation.
Overlooked, real prime-news drama, and people-thrilling story from the NBA, that makes the sport worldwide entertainment, and grinding people to their seats, from Hawai to Buenos Aires, and from Greenland to Ross Island:
“I’m taking my talents to Akron”
It can’t be any worse than the Kuminga stuff, which dates back years and may laughably conclude after Giannis is already traded (or, perhaps, even as a part of that deal).
Yeah, there’s a lot of garbage being pushed out right now, but hopefully it won’t be for long (unless they wait until the offseason).
A hurdle with the Dubs is California tax…
Especially if there’s an extension involved…
That hurdle has kept various high-earner athletes across a few sports from signing with CA teams (and is also a key point of Ohtani’s deferred payments, which he will receive when he is no longer playing/a CA resident)…
High sales tax in CA is a hurdle compared to Texas and Florida (which have no state income tax), but not compared to NY, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Illinois, etc
The advantages of large market size and access to enormous wealth overwhelm the cost of sales tax, which is why California remains BY FAR the most popular choice for free-agent superstar athletes along with New York. See Ohtani, LeBron, Kahwi, Machado, etc
I love when people complain about things being expensive in California. Supply and demand
Giannis hates California. Not sure how many times he has to state this before the gullible warriors fans who think the nba and entire world revolves around them get the hint. It’s not just the tax I’ve heard Giannis slag off California either.
Aristotle been on a trip since the 60s and 70s. Some serious Manson family vibes.
When did Giannis say he hates California? Manson was from Ohio. The Midwest has a lot of serial killers.
You’re on the internet now aren’t you? Giannis always ragging on California, not a secret. Oh, did Manson do his handy work in Ohio, NO.
Giannis went to an expensive restaurant and complained about it. You call that ragging on California? Serial Killers and Mass Murders are raised that way. Charlie learned that stuff in Ohio.
We are also talking Northern California close to the napa valley. Its nothing like LA area. Taxes has nothing to do with what state you go to when there is plus or minus in every city.
You know a few serial killers do you? Not sure it’s that black and white. I suppose Ramirez has Mexican heritage so that’s on Mexico.
Anyways, it’s not just the expensive restaurant. It’s popular to include Warriors, Lakers etc. Reality of actually getting Giannis has red flags everywhere.
So many rumors. Now a rumor just came out the warriors drop out of Giannis trade. Nobody knows what is going to happen.
I never thought that the Warriors would get Giannis. Didn’t think they would be that interested. Do you go by what is popular? Rumors go for a dime for 100.
Ramirez was from Texas.
I do not think the warriors are going after giannis. What I think they want to do is be part of the overall trade in using Kuminga to get Portis or Turner. If Bucks go for a rebuild teh warriors could use Kuminga for some of their vets.
Pretty sure you’re entirely wrong on how the deferred money is taxed
The deferred payments were actually proposed by Toronto. Right now Ohtani has endorsement money. In the future he will have what amounts to a pension. I doubt taxes were ever the primary focus.
That’s completely false. The Angels and Dodgers have no problem handing huge contracts. He also started out with the Angels. Ohtani deferred his contract so that they can pay other players.
Texas has low taxes, as long as you don’t live there. Look at all the money the Yankees and Mets have handed, bigger than some countries GDP.
Look at how much money Curry has made. He has no plans to leave.
Neither team has picks but they have way better talent than Warriors offerings.
If Giannis wants to win — he should consider the Detroit Pistons.
They’d be a perfect fit, strange there aren’t more rumors about them
One aspect I’ve always thought about when these superstars request trades is the misaligned incentives of the star and their old team re: maximizing/minimizing trade return. If I’m Giannis here, I’d be trying everything to deflate my value so my new team is better.
There’s a way for this misalignment to be exploited in a way that’s bad for the league.
Jimmy’s exit from MN had some of this, but I think he just hated KAT and wasn’t trying to play chess.
It’s basically already happened before when players try to make demands regarding the only teams they’d be willing to play for. Even if it’s a bluff, that limits the team’s leverage my shrinking the pool of suitors accordingly. So if you’re a star, you need only a) pick the team or teams you want, b) narrow that initial list down by considering what a deal might look like with reduced leverage, whether that would be having to give up reduced draft assets or being able to retain certain depth if not needed for salary matching purposes. That’s where a good agent/agency comes into play. They can help distill all of that down.
Fair points. It could be taken to another level I fear. It would take someone who isn’t afraid of the PR hit that would come with overt sabotage.
The reality is any team that trades for Giannis already will have a side agreement with him to a max extension. That’s the only way. So him expressing interest is a way to signal who he’ll sign with. I don’t think it will be Warriors.
KAT and Wiggins. Wig was just as lazy and terrible low effort. Butler was right.
Boston please ring Milwaukee about Bobby Portis availability. Tillman, Boucher etc. $22 million trade exemption. Sticking point would be what pics. 2026 first may get it done. Got plenty of 2nds to throw around too.
Wise for the BUCKS to let this one cook til the next offseason, it’s a lost season after all ……. everything changes when Giannis demands a trade and has preferred destination, though.
Giannis isn’t for everybody, KNICKS, HEAT, DUBS should be in the lead hunt.
People pushing for a ring this year will want him now. OKC is looking pretty solvable right now, just ask Spurs and Wolves. So plenty of teams thing they have a shot.
Yup, hence I said he isn’t for everybody …….. KNICKS, HEAT, DUBS are in win-now mode, they’ll try to pry him now – most hoops reporters confirmed these 3 teams along with the WOLVES.
Even with his recent spate of injuries, Giannis is as good a gamble out there …… not unlike Jimmy, AD, even KD the past 2 seasons.
“OKC is looking pretty solvable right now”
They’re missing 2 starters and their 6th man. So a more accurate statement would be ?OKC is looking pretty injured right now”.
Zero chance that OKC trades for Giannis.