The Bucks have informed interested teams that they’re hanging onto forward Giannis Antetokounmpo through Thursday’s trade deadline and will begin focusing on separate trade opportunities, reports ESPN’s Shams Charania (Twitter link).
The decision removes the top attraction from this year’s pre-deadline trade market and sets up an eventful offseason when rival teams will be able to make more tempting offers.
The Warriors, Timberwolves, Heat and Knicks were believed to be the most active suitors for Antetokounmpo, but the Bucks were signaling to teams over the past few days that they weren’t ready to part with their franchise player, according to Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints (Twitter link).
As a result, those teams began focusing on other moves, with Golden State acquiring Kristaps Porzingis, Minnesota dealing for Ayo Dosunmu and New York swapping Guerschon Yabusele for Dalen Terry.
ESPN’s Jason Collier reported earlier today that Milwaukee wasn’t feeling pressure to find a deal before the deadline, and Jake Fischer of The Stein Line got the same impression, with one rival executive telling him the Bucks “were never serious” about moving Antetokounmpo prior to this summer (Twitter link).
While holding onto Antetokounmpo could increase his eventual trade value, it also gives him more control over the process. He’s only under contract for one more season at $58.5MM and holds a $62.8MM player option for 2027/28. Being able to opt out next summer means he’ll have some leverage to quash a potential deal if he’s not being sent to a place that he wants to go.
Antetokounmpo will become eligible for a four-year, $275MM extension on October 1 if he remains in Milwaukee, notes Bobby Marks of ESPN (Twitter link). If he’s traded before then, he’ll have to wait six months from the day the deal is finalized until he can sign that maximum extension (he could get a slightly shorter, less lucrative deal within the six-month window).
Antetokounmpo is currently sidelined due to a calf strain, and with the Bucks lingering in 12th place in the East at 20-29, it may be in their best interest to have him sit out the rest of the season to maximize the value of their first-round pick and avoid the risk of injury heading into the summer. However, league sources tell Eric Nehm of The Athletic that Antetokounmpo wants to return to action once he’s fully recovered in hopes of helping the team secure a play-in spot.
Antetokounmpo has been sending out mixed signals about his desire to stay in Milwaukee since trade rumors began to heat up. He said Tuesday that he loves the city and would prefer to retire as a Buck, but he also suggested that he’s not fully convinced that the team can quickly be rebuilt into a title contender, adding that he has to look at his options.
Multiple reports have stated that the Bucks are seeking young talent and draft assets in an Antetokounmpo deal. Several teams that currently have limited draft picks available will be able to increase their offers beginning this June.
OK there you have it. I guess we consider this official declaration of intention.
Do the floodgates of minor or medium deals open up now?
I hope u and some of the other GS fans can get a refund on those Giannis jerseys you guys already ordered.
Morgs, Mine are on eBay for 4.99 as we speak. The only thing is, I threw up on them last night after the Porzingis trade.
It’s just a joke that Windy and those idiots at espn tried to convince other teams and fans that only 2-3 teams could trade for Giannis. In the off season way more teams can make a run at him. Bucks know this, and espn tried to tell u he needs to be traded now. The fact is Giannis is hurt and the bucks don’t care right now about winning games. He can sit as long as he wants. This draft is deep. After the lottery the bucks can look at the bigger picture and see what’s available
@13
How are they idiots. He did have s limited market this trade feline and they were right. The Bucks simply decided not to about the offers on the table. The market will change in the offseason but purely by filters such as cap space, proximity to being a championship contender, and having the available assets will leave a small group of suitors.
I’ll but it for that price 🤣
Who would be stupid enough to buy a jersey before the deal was made official? You make up a person to humiliate who does not exist.
Matter of fact most Warriors fans are happy to get Kristaps, who while he rarely plays, still plays more than Kuminga, and is a better fit on the too-small Warriors, who also lost another no-D guy like Buddy.
Giannis will be moved in the offseason, then.
i saw them selling next to the Eagles 26 superbowl jerseys
Everyone I talked to
Warriors have much better offer than Wolves and Heat
Wolves and Heat offers won’t help improve the future of the Bucks. Pick Swaps are all fake. Bucks don’t need role players like Reid and McDaniel (14 points per game)
It’s about vision
Warriors never had the young super star that the Bucks wanted. They also didn’t want anything to do with Draymond Green who would have been part of the deal. It was ESPN that was claiming the draft picks made it a great deal. Once again the media is the one that made up the trade.
Last night at 11pm PST
At that time, Bucks are sleeping
Wolves fans were celebrating Warriors and Heat were out. They won. I told them that they were out too. Bucks did not want Heat center piece Herro.
This was what I thought.
If Wolves are able to offer a high value first round pick and 3 low value first round picks, they should get Giannis yesterday.
You don’t wait until today, you don’t.
U knuckleheads need to stop listening to that idiot Windhorst from espn. Dude is CLUELESS
He’s literally the one who said he doubted there would be a Giannis trade.
That wasn’t his first take at all when news came out about the possibility of a trade. He only changed his tune when others started talking about the off season. His first take was Giannis would be traded and only 2-3 teams has the true assets to make deal. Keep up
I know Windy only changed his tune yesterday when it became obvious Bucks didn’t like any of the packages after claiming GSW package was a greatr deal for them.
the media just wanted something to talk about but in the long run you find out the Bucks never wanted to trade him.
They can tell him they tried.
So after all these trades for other players they just announce other players are on teh block. SMH they passed up some good players already.
I don’t think they were in running to get anyone that was just traded. They don’t have the picks to make those moves or good expiring contracts. Turner deal too new, Portis has extra year, Kuzma is not good enough, Porter ehh, they want to keep Rollins.
Is it any wonder based on those reported offers from the “interested” teams? Kuminga was a throw in for a 7 footer who never plays yet I heard he was a centrepiece for a generational talent like GA lol
Kuminga is literally the centerpiece of that deal, not a throw in. My lord, the bad faith framing on you…lol haters stay hating.
No draft picks to ATL = pure player trade = GSW wins easily. Kristaps is a bad man on the court, when healthy. That is better than Kerr refusing to play Kuminga. Kristaps is literally better thna Myles Turner or Bobby Portis, two guys Kuminga was also rumored to be on the block for.
Centerpiece? He was just money to make it happen. The center piece was the draft picks. Who said he was teh centerpiece? I never heard that. It was always about the draft picks.
“The center piece was the draft picks.” “It was always about the draft picks”
Would that be the draft picks that weren’t involved?
Why do so many types like you talk without reading?
Strange, I didn’t see any draft picks either
SMH Come on now everyone knew Kuminga was about the $24 million needed in the trade. Bucks said they wanted expiring contracts and young players. The ONLY thing the warriors had to offer was the 4 1st round picks and throw ins. Seriously show me where Kuminga was the centerpiece? Bucks didn’t even want Kuminga before the season when the warriors offered him for Portis and was turned down.
Warriors fans made it seem like he was the man but just not given minutes by Kerr. They said he was worth a lot. The market proved that to be wrong.
let me fix that for you a few fans. I have no doubt he will be a scorer off the bench for a team. I have been saying for the last few years he will have a career like Oubre a scorer off the bench. Warriors waited way too long to trade him and by not playing him lowered his value to nothing.
Giannis to the Dubs the very first moment he can be dealt again.
– Dippy L’s 3.0 (probably)
That ship has passed
Waiting for Dippy to make that statement or hell change to a different target already like last year. He went from KD to Giannis.
Some fans never want to admit that its time to rebuild. I been saying all along the warriors have very little assets to make a trade and with 2 players making most of the money no cap space.
So, by process of elimination, the Kings want at least one FRP for Sabonis. GSW was not willing to give them that, so they pivoted to Atlanta.
It always ‘made sense to wait! More tesms can offer more in the summer and worst case heat and warriors( can still do it without kuminga as he was irrelevant to bucks ) will be A’s thirsty for Giannis this summer! Both have been waiting since 2019 won’t drop out now
Lakers offered 2033 2nd rd pick and bottle of jack daniels and bucks said NO???
He was always more likely to be moved in the offseason anyways. Not very surprising. The Bucks just wanted to get a taste of what might be out there before the real thing.
NBA executives are comedians. Now, supposedly, MIL was “never serious”? While I do think MIL preferred to wait until the off season (and Giannis clearly didn’t care), it’s also true that they could have been anxious for a deal and still not made one based on what was supposedly offered to them.
Anyway, it’s now apparent that, as I suspected, Giannis did not request a trade, and is still open to an extension if the team improves. MIL will still move him in the off season without an extension signed and sealed, but they don’t absolutely have to if the offers continue to be this bad.