Opposing teams are split on whether the Bucks actually intend to trade Giannis Antetokounmpo ahead of the February 5 deadline. According to Marc Stein and Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link), some teams in touch with Milwaukee have gotten the impression the Bucks prefer to wait until the offseason, when more suitors could arise.
However, Sam Amick of The Athletic hears other clubs think the Bucks are more likely to move the superstar forward in the next five days, pointing to the “human factor” as a reason why it could make sense for both sides to part ways sooner rather than later. Keeping Antetokounmpo on the roster into the offseason would create an “uncomfortable” and “unhealthy dynamic,” since everyone on the team knows the partnership seems inevitable to end, Amick writes.
Although Giannis never made a public request, teams in pursuit of the perennial MVP candidate “strongly” believe his preference is to be traded in the next five days, per Stein and Fischer.
Amick, John Hollinger, Eric Nehm and Nick Friedell of The Athletic weigh the various potential outcomes of Antetokounmpo being on the trade block. As Hollinger observes, Giannis and teams interested in acquiring him stand to benefit most by a deadline deal, while Nehm points out that Milwaukee would likely be better positioned to maximize its return in the offseason.
As Friedell writes, Antetokounmpo’s preferred list of destinations is unknown, and that could have a significant impact on discussions as well, since he only has one guaranteed year left on his contract beyond 2025/26.
The Warriors — one of the four teams rumored to in strong pursuit of Antetokounmpo — have been repeatedly mentioned as a possible landing spot, since they can send all four of their own first-round picks to the Bucks right now (it’s debatable how valuable some of those picks would be, Amick notes). They also have fairly straightforward ways to match salaries.
Sources tell Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area that Stephen Curry is the only Warrior who is off-limits in talks for Antetokounmpo, and Anthony Slater of ESPN has heard the same.
While Jimmy Butler, who is out for the year with a torn ACL in his right knee, has been mentioned as a possible salary-matching piece, Stein and Fischer have received “strong indications” that Golden State’s offer for Antetokounmpo is unlikely to include Butler. Both players are on maximum-salary contracts and make $54.1MM this season.
As Stein and Fischer write, if Butler isn’t included, Draymond Green ($25.8MM) may have to be part of the deal for matching purposes. The former Defensive Player of the Year addressed that possibility after Friday’s loss to Detroit, per Slater.
“I’ve been here for 14 years,” Green said. “I have no reason to sit and worry about leaving. But if I’m traded, that’s part of the business. I ain’t losing no sleep, though. I slept great last night.”
If anyone has been reading HR content since the summer, they’ll know I was one of the VERY few – perhaps only – to repeatedly (and emphatically) suggest Dubs would not just be among the best suitors for Giannis but ALSO that Draymond should (and WOULD) be part of the outgoing package.
You think the bucks want Draymond or that GS needs the bucks to just take him off their hands? hahaha.. you can’t actually think they want him.
Draymond and Miles would be fun to watch on defense
I hope the bucks buy out draymond and he signs with the pistons, draymond on the pistons is literally a perfect fit and he would be sheed and Ben Wallace together
He would definitely be a fit in Detroit.
You were wrong then and you’re wrong now.
I’ve said since the summer that you have no clue who the Warriors are receiving in trade and neither do I. What we do know is Jonathan Kuminga is gone in the next five days. That’s a fact.
What we hope is that the Warriors have enough assets where they can bring in 2 studs. A four man and a wing or guard ball handler.
Kinda like the Brooklyn angle with Jimmy for Porter plus pickings off Sharpe~ Cam Thomas~ Xaire ~ or Highsmith …perhaps Mann is in there with Buddy also inc back . Lotta ways they can shape that and all of um are beneficial to GSW’s 2026 AND 2027 cap sheets
Brk will want more than the solo 2026 pick tho
2026 pick and the 1-20 on the 2030 pick probably gets you moving quick with Brk even including Jimmys contract
Porter, Cam and Egor for Giannis with a couple of the Knicks picks sounds good.
“What we do know is Jonathan Kuminga is gone in the next five days. That’s a fact.”
Prove it.
Just read what’s been written on the Warriors lately and then think the opposite. There’s your proof. I thought you knew that?
Of course there’s been a couple developments in the last several weeks
Jimmy Butler went down and Steph Curry is nicked up a little bit and could be vulnerable to missing time again as the season wears on.
So the decision to go for it is not as clear as it was even last week, even though the Warriors are a few games over .500.
So the few assets the Warriors have, do they deal them for the future or do they peddle them in the hopes of going for it right now?
The little run they had just a week and a half ago seems like the distant past this afternoon.
Too big of a gamble because Curry’s knee is not 100% and nobody know if Giannis is healthy. Wait until the off season would be best for the warriors.
If Heat trade Tyler Herro, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kel’el Ware and offer their 2030 and 2032 first-round picks for Giannis
Heat would miss playoffs due to starter injury
Is it April 1st? Draymond and Kuminga for Giannis
Why would they keep jimmy butler’s injured salary if they are trying to win a championship
Because nobody else wants it. They’ll collect insurance on it so that’ll help with the tax bill, but they’ll probably be adding money at the deadline to get over the top.
Then this summer they can deal with Jimmy and all the money and sort out who to keep who to trade, etc.
A lot has changed though since those summer sentiments. I envisioned the trio of Steph-Jimmy-Giannis molding together very quickly to become a force unlike any other great basketball trio many of us have ever witnessed. Now with Jimmy on the shelf for the equivalent of at least one full season, does it make sense to give up all those picks for Giannis? Do we tell Giannis: don’t worry, man. We’re goin’ for it next year…and maybe the year after….but, yeah, ‘26 is mostly shot. And I won’t speculate much on the validity of Giannis’ recurring calf issue. Let’s assume it’s legitimate and it’s been injured and re-injured. What should the Warriors’ plan be, for the very imminent future, with that calf problem? When they acquired Jimmy last February, I was of the mind they should take it easy the rest of the way (I didn’t think they had enough to seriously compete for a title, even with Jimmy in tow), and then reload further in the offseason for a full-fledged title push in ‘26. I’m almost certainly gonna go with the same mindset this time around, in light of Jimmy’s extended absence coupled with Giannis’ and now Steph’s health concerns. In addition, I don’t think Giannis has handled himself as professionally this season as in years past – alluding to the unnecessary dunk at the end of game in Chicago, him booing back at the Bucks crowd, and especially the weekly trade speculation (fueled by the media, of course) with him waiting several months to proclaim he would never ask to get traded.
Sure Daveys alter ego.
What? So you read my reply and now you’re backtracking on your amazing, wonderful, incredibly accurate, prediction of the summer?
I don’t get it? Seems like Davey 3.0 is as disappointing as Davey 2.0.
I was formulating my reply to my initial comment before seeing or reading your reply. Yes, I AM backtracking a bit. My forecast may very well still come true by next Thursday – or even July – but the excitement will not nearly be at the level it would have been shortly before Jimmy’s tumble versus Miami (ironic, yeah).
Can’t imagine how any of that would be appealing to the Bucks, but NBA trades are weird.
I think it’s a situation like the Warriors have with JK. He wants out and everyone knows he wants out and the longer you wait the worse it gets.
It’s not even the All-Star break. You can’t hang onto these guys until the end of the season with that kind of vibe in the locker room and hope to succeed.
They’re not going to send those two home to collect a check like some teams do in situations like this, so it looks like the Bucks will take whatever they can get before Thursday. Same with the Warriors and JK.
Forget matching salaries and third teams (both of those are issues, but secondary issues).
First and foremost, what matters is the value of GSW’s trade assets. I don’t see any beyond some pedestian young players and its 4 FRPs and 3 swaps, which also don’t figure to result in an impact player. You don’t trade an All NBA player to bring back volume.
Here’s how you deal with the human factor if there aren’t real assets on the table: send Giannis home, and let him rehab/relax. See, NOP with AD.
I can’t imagine that Giannis would want to join a GSW team with only Steph, injured Butler, Horford, Melton only through the end of the season, Hield, Post, TJD, Richard, Santos, and Spencer – because that’s not going to be a competitive team in the West.
Staying in the weaker east and joining a less depleted team makes more sense.
That is the problem Giannis doesn’t make them a top 10 team with is going out. Also Bucks want a young all star in the trade which the warriors do not have. So why would they take old warriors players in a trade.
I bet Giannis wouldn’t object for having the chance to play with the greatest shooter of all time
Spurs end this Drama …… please 🙏😠
Giannis (54.1 m) ->> to the Spurs….
KJohnson (17.5 m), J Kuminga (22.5 m), D Harper (12.4 m), two #1 Spurs picks, two Spurs 2nd rd picks.
To Milwaukee Bucks —
H Barnes (19 m), two Bucks 2nd rd picks
To GS Warriors —
That would be a good trade for Bucks.
You don’t like it for Warriors lol. Barnes is an expiring contract. Can resign him for less long term. Or let him go and sign a younger player.
It’s not bad for the warriors. It’s about what you can expect them getting.
Imo it’s best to wait till end of yr.
But I agree with what you said. That Warriors can get in on a Giannis deal. 👍
No way the Bucks prefer to wait, blasphemy
Any preferences here in this whole saga are Giannis’s and Giannis’s alone
A good ole fashion Filibuster, Strom Thurmond would be proud
Buy your MSG tickets for next year NOW before the price spike folks
Draymond is traded not to the Bucks but to the Pistons for Ivey + Holland II + Duran
Then you Package those guys with picks and Kuminga
For
Giannis
You can even move things around so the Warriors keep Duran
Draymond is not worth 3 really good players I think assuming butler isnt traded he gets bought out and then signs with pistons
I can see the Celtics getting involved in these trades to try and grab Draymond. He would be a great addition to Boston this year and the next few.
For the Warriors to put all those picks on the table they have to believe:
1) a team built around Steph, Giannis, and either Jimmy or Dray can be a contender
2) Giannis will sign the max-years extension they put in front of him this summer, and not ask for, say, a 1+1
3) they will be able to replace Steph’s production in a couple years while paying GA, in his mid to late 30s, something like $70m
Not sure I’m buying that they really made that offer.
A little skeptical of the idea that they can replace Steph’s production in a couple years.
I have been calling Giannis to GSW with everyone but Steph on the table for literal years at this point. And guess where we currently are? Exactly at that point.
Predicting Giannis to move during the first lillard trade is interesting
Yup, it was always going to happen. Dame was the last stand of the Bucks actually trying to win with Giannis. Once Dame went down, they planned for this rebuild by surrounding G with Kuzma and Myles and acting like that was ever going to be anything but mid, they knew it was not going to work, and G would request out. They always wanted G off the team after last season. The Bucks FO are dumb and do dumb things. This was always par for the course. G wanted to stay, so did Luka. But they can’t stop a dumb FO from doing dumb things.
My favorite part about this delusional wall conversation is that this poor kid is so frantic that he can’t spell Giannis.