Latest On Giannis Antetokounmpo

Head coach Doc Rivers confirmed that Giannis Antetokounmpo has been diagnosed with a right calf strain on Monday, but he claimed the Bucks don’t have a timeline for the two-time MVP’s return, per Steve Megargee of The Associated Press.

“There’s really no timetable,” Rivers said.

Antetokounmpo said he expected to be out four-to-six weeks after reinjuring his calf in Friday’s loss to Denver.

“I felt like I couldn’t explode,” Antetokounmpo said after the game. “I could jog. I couldn’t get on my toes, so I was kind of jogging on my heel the majority of the game. I didn’t have the same explosiveness, but I still felt like I could help. At the end, when it popped, I had to get out. I couldn’t walk.”

As Megargee notes, Antetokounmpo initially strained his right soleus — one of the muscles in the calf — on December 3, causing him to miss eight games last month. He has also strained his left calf multiple times, but Rivers said the Bucks haven’t considered shutting the 31-year-old down for the rest of the season.

“There’s no thought to that,” Rivers said. “But listen, there’s no timetable either.”

Here’s more on Antetokounmpo, whom rival teams believed the Bucks might make available before the injury:

• If the Bucks decide to listen to offers for Antetokounmpo prior to the trade deadline, which teams would be in the best position to pursue him? Bobby Marks of ESPN breaks down all 29 opposing teams into tiers, including a group of 10 clubs who have the most to offer Milwaukee. According to Marks, the Pistons, Raptors and Trail Blazers — in that order — stand out as three teams who would theoretically have the least difficulty trading for the Greek superstar.
• The Knicks were reportedly Antetokounmpo’s preferred destination last offseason. How could they pull off a trade for the 10-time All-Star? Yossi Gozlan of The Third Apron (Substack link) explores that subject, writing that New York would likely need at least one additional team to act as a facilitator to make a deal work. Gozlan points to the Trail Blazers as a logical fit in that scenario, as they’re said to be fans of Mikal Bridges and control Milwaukee’s first-round picks from 2028-30.
• Henry Abbott of TrueHoop spoke to several NBA sources last week and all agreed the Bucks and Antetokounmpo appear destined to part ways, the only question is whether it will occur in the next 10 days or in the offseason. Abbott also heard a rumor that Antetokounmpo was considering firing his longtime agent Alex Saratsis over his inability to get his client traded, with Rich Paul apparently hoping to capitalize if that comes to fruition. Abbott acknowledges it’s hard to know what’s true and what isn’t, since he received conflicting feedback from his sources, but he notes that players only have to wait seven days to swap agents now instead of 15, so it’s possible it could still occur before the deadline. Saratsis was still listed as Antetokounmpo’s agent as of Monday, Abbott notes.