Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bucks officials have both attempted to quash speculation about a potential trade over the past two weeks, but teams around the league continue to closely monitor the situation, according to two prominent NBA observers.
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said during a recent appearance on NBA Countdown (YouTube link) that numerous deals are on hold because rival teams aren’t convinced that Antetokounmpo won’t be moved by the February 5 trade deadline. General managers are reluctant to part with assets that could be useful if the two-time MVP were suddenly to become available over the next two-and-a-half weeks.
“The biggest question in the NBA right now is are the Bucks really going to stand for this and is Giannis really going to stand for this,” Windhorst said. “And I know what Giannis has said on the record and I know that the Bucks have been out there trying to buy, but I’m telling you when I talk to people in the league, they’re still holding, waiting to see. … There are deals that are on hold … because teams still aren’t 100% sure whether Giannis is going to be on the team the rest of the year, and these last few games have made them even stutter some more.”
NBA insider Zach Lowe identifies the Hawks, Warriors, Lakers, Heat and Knicks as teams that are “considering holding onto their assets for a potential pursuit of Giannis Antetokounmpo now or in the summer” (Twitter video link). Lowe notes that Antetokounmpo, who’s signed through next season and holds a $62.8MM player option for 2027/28, will become eligible for an extension in October.
“If he doesn’t take that extension, that’s the same things as basically demanding a trade,” Lowe said. “… Right now, the Bucks are only 5-5 since he came back from injury. They are getting shellacked every second that he’s off the floor on the bench resting. They’re still in 11th in the East, and the time to convince him that this group can actually do anything serious might be now.”
Lowe suggests the Bucks should target Grizzlies guard Ja Morant in their search for immediate help. Morant, who had 24 points and 13 assists on Sunday as he returned from a right calf injury, has been among the most prominent names on the trade market, but he said after the game that he’s a “loyal guy” and prefers to stay in Memphis.
“The whole league is watching,” Lowe added. “If they slide any further down the standings, if they can’t even get up to 10th or ninth in the East, does Giannis push the button now instead of waiting until the summer? It’s the biggest story in the NBA potentially.”
Milwaukee is coming off a miserable week, dropping three straight games, including an 18-point loss to San Antonio and a 33-point loss to Minnesota. At 17-24, the team is still only 1.5 games behind 10th-place Atlanta for the East’s final play-in spot and 2.5 games in back of ninth-place Chicago.
The Bucks have sent out strong indications that they’ll approach the trade deadline as buyers in hopes of making a late-season run. But they have limited trade assets available and are reportedly reluctant to part with their lone tradable first-round pick (in either 2031 or 2032).
Even if Milwaukee manages to earn a playoff spot, there’s no guarantee that will satisfy Antetokounmpo, who has stated repeatedly that he wants to win another championship before he retires. Regardless of the Bucks’ official position, teams are preparing for the possibility that a trade might happen by the deadline.
I guess we won’t see any trades until the offseason then. See you guys in six months!
The Knicks need to be eliminated from rumors. They have nothing to offer. Bucks didn’t want OG and Mitch last summer they don’t want him now. The Knicks are in trouble. IMO they traded for the wrong players. Kat, OG and Mikal. Especially when they could have possibly gotten Booker, KD, Doncic etc with the assets they had left. The Knicks traded so much depth it’s killing them now on the court and financially moving forward. I hate to admit it but Boston looks great without Tatum.
Nico only negotiated with the Lakers, so
He is not going to the Lakers. But I agree with the Knicks. They will need a lot of help to win a chip. I said this earlier in the year. Clarkson has taken a step back like every player at 33. Yu is a bust if a signing. Kolek has improved but small in the back court. Not really sure what they can do, no more cap room. McBride they could trade but his salary is too low to get anything good back
OG? The guy has been ridiculously phenomenal this year. His defense is stifling and his shooting has been superb. He’s all over the floor and gets the toughest assignments regarding coverage. He brings his game each night.
Issue is ball distribution for the Knicks. New system and many hands that can score. KAT was always one of the top two with no real backups in terms of scoring. Today the Knicks have Brunson, Kat, Bridges – all players who have averaged 20 or more pg in their collective history, and others like OG, Hart, and even McBride to an extent that can do it as well.
I don’t blame the players here – I’ll give more runway to them learning a new system but ultimately at some point it will get redirected to the coach. There’s no lack of effort or trying by the team, just simply cohesion. Bridges in my opinion was a good deal and Kat as well. OG in this case was a steal.
You guys always want to blame the coach. Basketball is more than scoring. So if 4 people are avg 20 than why aren’t you winning. Coach can’t make you play defense
The Lakers have assets?
Not now, but they’ll have $60m in cap space this summer if they say bye to LeBron, plus 3 tradeable firsts and swaps. They could acquire Giannis without matching salary.
There are a lot of teams would trade for Giannis if its only 3 1st round picks. Cap space works only if Guiannis was a free agent which he is not.
Golden State can do 3 FRP and 3 pick swaps, along with Kuminga and whoever else for salary matching.
Name the package they can offer the Bucks.
During the offseason the lakers can offer all those three firsts, Austin reaves.
Team with the best assets to match up with Milwaukee is San Antonio. But the question is: will they? They have players, picks, and salary to match. My only question and/or concern is: do they give up youth and control for years to come for a quick victory lap? They have another shot at a dynasty here. They have more picks to continue even further and have done well with their drafts. Personally I wouldn’t make the deal, not sure how Giannis and Wemby can co-exist down low but it sure would be fun to find out.
The two best matches are the Spurs and Thunder, who both have openly said they are not interested in Giannis. The Warriors and their 3 FRP and 3 pick swaps, along with Kuminga and whoever else for salary matching, is obviously the best package the Bucks can get.
Wimby is already publicly stated he doesn’t want to play with Giannis. Not everyone wants to stack their team. SA Antonio is not trading for him. It’s a mute point
Today’s game is probably the only window that the Hawks will ever get to entertain the idea of a trade in the mind of Giannis. It should be interesting to speculate on, with both trade candidates (porzingis, risachie) in such case being out due to injuries. Regardless, I’m hoping the Hawks lose just so that the Spurs get a better chance at a lower draft pick. Go Spurs Go!
“Davey J is the ONLY person online saying GSW are going to try and trade for Giannis.” – hundreds of reply guy posts on here.
Really. Yall are just weirdos at this point…
Give it a rest, ESPN.
Windbag is FOS. What teams? What assets? What deals aren’t they doing? Maybe he’s getting nothing from FO’s, and this is their or his excuse. It would be difficult to make a Giannis trade work for MIL’s rebuild purposes against the deadline landscape. Even if Giannis demanded a trade, a good deal for MIL would likely involve too many pieces to get done before the off season.
Warriors still think they are going to trade Kuminga and Draymond for Giannis. They will probably want some firsts from Milwaukee too because they know how valuable Kuminga is.
You sound like Rich Paul claiming Bronny is the next super star.
Haha that’s a good one. Although I don’t think the warriors think this. But people on this board do. They believe Kuminga is going to become a star and his value is high
that was 2 years ago. Like I said he is a lot like Oubre a guy who never lives up to his potential but a 6th man off the bench.
I’m joking man JK is a bench player on a winning teamto me. He doesn’t have a role and has no elite skill. Has played over 5k minutes and people think he will show something different. But people on here love to blame teams and never players
“But they have limited trade assets available…”
Yeah, you think? Kinda makes that goal of improving the roster tricky when your assets stink.
“…and are reportedly reluctant to part with their lone tradable first-round pick (in either 2031 or 2032).”
The smartest thing I’ve heard connected to the Bucks front office in a while. If they keep trading picks (that will be VERY valuable one day), they’ll keep digging the hole deeper that will be impossible to dig out of. And every year a team drafts a player high “via MIL,” they’ll have regrets.
@Padam OG is always injured he misses to much time. Not worth the money he got. Knicks were forced to sign him back after giving up that package
I know this comment will draw criticism, but is it possible that Giannis is no longer an elite player. The Bucks have been in steady decline and his skills – always a bit limited – are eroding. I watched him play the Spurs recently and while he came out strong showing his physical strength over Wemby, Keldon Johnson quickly shut him down and the game was quickly out of hand.
He can’t shoot, he has never handled well, and he does not distribute well to open teammates. I always felt he never made those around him better, and now those around him are terrible so he has no chance to turn things around.
He’s amazing athlete and could help a team like Miami or the Knicks but I just don’t think he’s a top 10 player anymore.