The Timberwolves are among the most serious suitors for Giannis Antetokounmpo, league sources tell ESPN’s Shams Charania. Charania reported on Wednesday that the Bucks star is “ready for a new home” and that Milwaukee is showing more willingness than ever to listen to offers for the two-time MVP.
While Timberwolves president of basketball operations Tim Connelly is one of the NBA’s most aggressive front office executives, it’s difficult to envision Minnesota putting together a package that would appeal to the Bucks. The Wolves don’t have any tradable first-round picks, so an offer would would have to be heavy on player value. With Anthony Edwards off the table, a package would probably start with Jaden McDaniels, Naz Reid, and Donte DiVincenzo.
As talented as those players are, none are All-Stars. Plus, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst (YouTube link) anticipates that the Bucks would be seeking a more draft-heavy return if they end up moving Antetokounmpo.
“They have to prioritize the draft,” Windhorst said. “This year’s draft and their pick situation going forward. Their future is going to be tied to (the) draft.”
Here are several more Giannis-related rumors, a week out from the February 5 deadline:
- The Warriors have contacted the Bucks within the past week to convey their “firm” interest in Antetokounmpo and to make it clear they’re prepared to make a strong offer, reports Anthony Slater of ESPN. While Golden State isn’t actively shopping Jimmy Butler, he would be on the table in a Giannis scenario for salary-matching purposes, according to Slater, who adds that the Bucks have some interest in Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga. Milwaukee native Brandin Podziemski could also be a factor in those trade talks, Slater notes.
- Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel (subscription required) considers what the Heat‘s best deadline for offer for Antetokounmpo might look like, suggesting it would probably consist of Tyler Herro, Kel’el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kasparas Jakucionis, Terry Rozier‘s expiring contract, and Miami’s two tradable first-round picks.
- The Rockets are unlikely to get involved in the Antetokounmpo sweepstakes, ESPN’s Tim MacMahon said in the latest episode of the Hoop Collective podcast (YouTube link). “I have been told that the Rockets will not be bidders,” MacMahon said. “Now, hey, nobody was under oath, but I’ve been told that repeatedly and I’ll say that they’ve got a pretty good track record of shooting me straight.”
- MacMahon also doesn’t anticipate the Spurs being a player for Antetokounmpo. “I have been told by folks with the Spurs, ‘We’re not a home for Giannis,'” he said on the Hoop Collective podcast (YouTube link). “And there’s been a lot of smoke going back to the summer, but everything in San Antonio is about the (Victor Wembanyama) timeline, and this is a decade past the Wemby timeline when you bring in Giannis at his age.”
- The Thunder have more than enough assets to make a strong offer for Antetokounmpo, but they shouldn’t – and likely won’t – seriously entertain the idea, according to Rylan Stiles of SI.com, who suggests that making a move for a veteran star like Giannis would shorten Oklahoma City’s window of championship contention.
Again, I’m not sure I’d want Giannis. And that’s for all the reasons everyone has stated in the last week.., or month.., or year lol
But if the Warriors could get involved.., and send out the scrubs and pics for guys like Jaden McDaniels, Naz Reid, and Donte DiVincenzo, then maybe they would be excited to be part of a 7 teamer? Not specifically Donte, but guys like him. Veterans, ball handlers, shooters.
Giannis and Ant would be an incredible combo but just don’t see how the Wolves could pull it off with so few assets. They’d have to deplete their roster to make it work and that formula of roster construction is outdated with so many deep teams at the top.
“They’d have to deplete their roster to make it work”
This is true for almost every contending team, too. It will be interesting to see what deal actually gets struck and how many teams end up involved.
It’s more true for the Wolves since they have virtually no draft assets so all the value is from players. There are some contending teams like SAS and OKC that have picks and would just need players for salary.
Please get Randle dumped in a deal. Losing McDaniels would be rough tho.
Randle Naz tons of picks for Giannis makes them a top 1-2 seed and a nightmare 3-6 seed.
They don’t have picks to give.
Go further out they do. Plus it would be several teams involved no doubt.
No, you can only trade picks 7 years into the future and not in consecutive drafts. The Wolves have no 1st that are eligible.
Stop letting the media drive this narrative that only a few teams can acquire Giannis. Honestly it’s never one of the first 3 teams talked about who end up acquiring the player(unless the player says he wants that team directly) which so far Giannis hasn’t done
How many max players can a team have and win it all? The approach of three all-stars seems difficult these days, although you’ll win games. Not sure that the Giannis sweepstakes will lead to a championship?
Except if paired with the best playoff performer we have ever seen in Steph Curry, who won it all in 2022 with Andrew Wiggins as his #2.
Jordan is the best playoff performer we have ever seen. 33.4ppg to Curry’s 26.7. 6 titles 6 finals MVPs. It’s not close. I’d say Lebron is ahead of Curry too and probably many more.
Curry beat Lebron 3 times.
MJ played against guys who would be plumbers today, in a slow-motion league.
MJ would average 40 with today’s “defense”
Today’s “defense” puts a better quality product on the court. High scoring games are good for the game. Low scoring ones are not. Go watch soccer if that’s what you want out of a game. I love 3’s and I hate watching wrestling. 80s NBA was rugby and almost all the non-MJ games were boring as sin to watch. Laimbeer’s Pistons weren’t a basketball team, they were playing rugby. Gross to watch. Basketball is a skill sport, not a CTE one.
Any MJ squad is not beating The Hamptons 5. Period. Even Ben Simmons in his prime is locking MJ. Rodman was also a known headcase, and being Draymond’s mind games have defeated literally every star multiple times, Rodman would fold and get T’d out of every game.
In his prime, no one beats Draymond+Splash Bros. Steve Kerr guarding Steph = L M A O
Go watch soccer? No thanks man.
Rodman is known as a head case but Draymond isn’t? LOL
You’re jumping through a lot of silly hoops all cuz I said ‘defense’.
Thinking Steve Kerr would be the primary defender on curry and not Jordan the starting 9 time all defensive guard. L M A O
Who guards Klay or Iggy then? Lmao MJ and the Bulls most overrated team ever.
Yes, games are played 1 on 1 for it all. Like a duel.
“I don’t want to see Steph and Giannis together” = not a real Warriors fan.
Gary doesn’t actually want the Warriors to win anymore. Same goes for anyone who hates this idea. Yeah man, Giannis got screwed this year by the Bucks FO who told him he could win with Kuzma and Turner as their big 3. That is idiotic on paper and proven in practice. This was the Bucks plan all along – to make Giannis mad and ask out. Mission accomplished.
Warriors have the most assets that actually WILL move, unlike the Spurs, Thunder and Hawks, ergo, Giannis to GSW is the most likely trade here.
Raptors are a dark horse. Control all of their picks, have the matching salary too.
@MB81 no doubt, but haven’t the Raptors removed a bunch of pieces off the table? GSW has everyone but Steph on the table. No doubt Toronto might be able to do that though, nice pick. Lets see what their packages actually look like though.
GS has nothing to give but an old Curry that is one ACL from retirement. Butler? No one wants that contract. Nor the player after that injury. Kerr has done an amazing job with that trash can squad if you count out injured Butler and Curry.
Rather see the Warriors use their four first round picks on a good young solid base, like they did when they brought in Curry, Green and Thompson. They should not go after Giannis. He is starting to break down with nagging injuries. Build the foundation up from the bottom up to hold up the roster, not from the top down with Curry at 37 and Green at 35 and Butler at 36 out with a season ending injury now they want to bring in 31 yr old Giannis by using some of their four first round draft picks. The picks are their gold; they have no other assets on the roster with the bench they have. If the Warrior want to get another older player call the Lakers get James on board on going to the Warriors, give up a couple of first round picks I’m sure the Lakers would take that in a heart beat.
Curry is almost 38 now.
My sources tell me the Dodgers may be getting in on this. They don’t have anything the Bucks would want back in a trade. That wouldn’t matter though. The thought is he’d retire from the NBA and sign at 7/$300 million with player option in years 5 and 6. Most of the money deferred until he’s 50. He’s never played baseball but they’ll worry about fit later, every team can use a guy that can give you 30/12 that plays elite defense.
Knicks have all their picks except for 2027. If they were to get value for OG and Towns. Young players and picks. We could make a good offer for Giannis. That’s the only way Knicks could pull it off.
Well I don’t see it happening. Considering what’s best for Bucks. Tge Thunder and Spurs both have the young vets and picks. To pull off a Giannis trade. Only do they want to or need to. If Giannis really wants to go. I see better deals at end of year. We’ll see soon.
Interesting. The Knicks traded a bunch of picks for Bridges and everyone knows they have basically zero picks to send to Bucks….but you think they have all their picks??? What are you talking about?
My thoughts exactly. Those picks are in New York but with the nets not the Knicks.
Why don’t you use your phone to get facts. Instead of passing judgement as everyone knows. Cause WE ALL know now who you are. Takes a min to look it up.
link to fanspo.com
2026 — own and Wash top 8 protected.
2nd rd pick — they have two
2027 — no 1st rd pick only 2nd rd pick. Like I posted
2028 — 1st rd pick and two 2nd rd picks
2029 — no picks
2030 — 1st rd pick.
Thats 4 first rd picks Knicks own till 2030. And like I posted. The trades of OG and Towns will bring more picks. But Like I posted. I don’t see Giannis in NY. But we do have a way to make an offer. Your phone is a computer. You can do all of this yourself 🧐🤫
But they can’t trade the 1st round picks they have due to Stepien rule. They can swap them, but not trade them.
As you mentioned, your phone is a computer so perhaps you should google the Stepien rule.
So 1st I couldn’t care less about any rule. The website thats informing the picks listed should have that. Still they can trade the 2026 pick. Can do swaps and trade 2032, 2034. And all they get for in a trade. How’s that. F the rule
I just want to interject here that I often refer to “the peanut gallery on here” to mean many posters, not the individual poster PeanutGallery.
Tells people to google it, then doesn’t even know what he’s talking about and then when told to google it, says he doesn’t care. Priceless.
Don’t forget that there two actually two picks, available. Plus swaps as he pointed out. And the picks from trades. So it is possible. And I did go to search the rule. And I dtill don’t care about it. Considering its a fantasy trade. But feel free to gloat.
I don’t believe in a Giannis trade. Yet the facts say it can be done. Yup
link to yardbarker.com
The Knicks own their own first-round picks in 2026, 2030, and 2032. These are straightforward – New York controls them completely.
“The Knicks own their own first-round picks in 2026, 2030, and 2032. These are straightforward – New York controls them completely.”
Giannis to warriors makes most sense. Him dray and horford on the same team means that at all times you’ll have somebody who can break your opponents bones in a heartbeat. The question is, should the Warriors give up all of their draft picks? Because it will cost a lot for the bucks to absorb Jimmy‘s contract, who obviously can’t play this year, and presumably won’t want to play there next year.
I think the Warriors are the one team that should mortgage their future for their star player to have a chance to achieve a full hand of rings and perhaps then some.
Steve is still moving rapidly and if he can add one-two more rings before the Spurs take over that would be great.
If the Spurs are somehow able to upgrade from Devon Vassell, they would become my favorites to win it all. 25 million a year for a one dimensional player on offense, that’s terrible on defense, is too much of a burden for championship team. He’s basically MPJ without the height.
He’s also very unattractive and spends way too much of his overpaid money on his terrible outfits. Just not a real spur.
I don’t see them being able to match the best possible offer. Unless GA specifically says he wants to go there.
Sensible take, wish more people on here were on your level.
Kudos for this well-thought out, logical comment.
Why not Charlotte? They have the salary, they have young players and they have like 7 tradable 1sts. They are at times a decent team. Giannis would make them pretty darn good. Just a thought.
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”
Embiid has negative value. No one wants that
trash can on that contract with his ability to injure himself on cue.
Randle,Reid,Dillingham,and Shannon Jr fit the trade machine for Giannis and his brother to Minnesota. Warriors should only be able to get him if he forces a trade to only there. Miami has the best offer if it’s everything in the article just for giannis and salary matching.
I would think the deal would have to include McDaniels instead of Reid, beringer and any draft capital they can scrape together. Even then, not sure I love that deal if I am the bucks.
I believe the bucks are also more interested in acquiring draft picks since they basically have none due to trying to build around giannis. Minnesota would have to get a couple other teams involved so they could get draft picks
Not sure I’d want Giannis I’d Jaden is traded. He’s the heart of that defense on a great contract. And he’s never injured. Love how Giannis would fit, but just feels like a less exciting team.
Agree that Dillingham is garbage, all young players, and Reid may not be enough plus Randle has negative value.