Giannis Antetokounmpo hasn’t requested a trade yet, but he might decide that’s best for him later this offseason. For the first time in his career, the Milwaukee Bucks star is open-minded about whether his current team is his best fit or not, ESPN reported Monday.
Trade rumors immediately began to swirl around Antetokunmpo when the Bucks were eliminated in the first round of the 2025 playoffs by the Indiana Pacers in five games. While it marked the third straight year that Milwaukee was eliminated in the first round, there was also a devastating development to the Bucks’ future in that series. Star guard Damian Lillard tore his Achilles in Game 4, likely sidelining the 34-year-old for the entire 2025-26 season.
Now, Antetokounmpo and his agents are expected to meet with Bucks management at some point this offseason as teams around the league are expected to ramp up their due diligence on potential trade talks surrounding the two-time MVP, according to ESPN.
Even though the Bucks haven’t come close to winning a title since they won it all in 2021, Antetokounmpo has remained one of the game’s best players. The 30-year-old will likely be named first-team All-NBA for a seventh straight season in the coming weeks, averaging 30.4 points, 11.9 rebounds and tying his career high in assists (6.5). He also averaged 1.2 blocks and 0.9 steals per game while shooting 60.1% from the field.
[Related: Has Giannis Antetokounmpo played his last game for the Bucks?]
As Antetokounmpo has continued to play at a high level, the roster around him has deteriorated since the Bucks’ championship run. They traded Jrue Holiday, Grayson Allen, a 2029 first-round pick and two first-round pick swaps (2028, 2030) just days before the start of the 2023-24 season. As former All-Star Khris Middleton’s health concerns continued into this season, the Bucks traded him, AJ Johnson, Delon Wright and another first-round pick swap in a four-team deal where they received Kyle Kuzma, Jericho Sims and a 2025 second-round pick.
Those trades, along with the deal to get Holiday from the New Orleans Pelicans in 2020, have limited Milwaukee’s ability to make any sizable move in the foreseeable future. The Bucks can’t trade multiple first-round picks this offseason as the next first-round pick they own is in 2031. They also own their 2032 first-round pick.
As of Monday, the Bucks have just seven players under contract for the 2025-26 season, including Antetokounmpo. However, they’re only $28.2 million below the first luxury tax apron as Brook Lopez and Gary Trent Jr. are set to become free agents while Bobby Portis, Pat Connaughton and Kevin Porter have player options.
Will Giannis Antetokounmpo stay with the Bucks?
If Antetokounmpo opts to move on from the Bucks, he could command one of the largest trade packages in recent NBA history. It’s rare that a two-time MVP in the middle of his prime gets moved, presumably meaning that every team will be interested in Antetokounmpo. The Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs are listed among the betting favorites to land Antetokounmpo if he doesn’t remain in Milwaukee next season.
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