As they were for much of the summer, all eyes in the NBA are on the “will he, won’t he” drama of whether Giannis Antetokounmpo will ask the Milwaukee Bucks for a trade. Tensions were defused this offseason as Giannis got on board with the Bucks’ plan, but after a 10-15 start that has seen Giannis wipe any mention of the team off his social media, it sure looks like it’s a matter of when, not if, Giannis asks out for greener pastures.
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Every team in the NBA would love to have Giannis, though few have the ammunition it would take to put together a competitive trade package for the Greek superstar and two-time MVP. That won’t stop teams from trying though, because a player like this just doesn’t become available very often.
Giannis hasn’t formally asked for a trade yet, and if and when he does, he may have a specific team or teams in mind that he’d like to go to. He’s set to miss the next few weeks with a calf strain, raising the very real possibility that if he decides in that time that he wants to move, he could have played his last game for the only franchise he’s ever known.
For their part, the Bucks are adamant in not engaging in the rumor mill. According to NBA insider Marc Stein, the team has clearly stated that Giannis is not available and they are not interested in any trade pitches.
The Bucks continue to tell teams that Giannis Antetokounmpo is not available, per @TheSteinLine
“As trade season draws close, everyone is talking about Giannis. Even though — and I want to underline this — the Bucks continue to tell teams: ‘He’s not available. We don’t want… pic.twitter.com/To1jBgI5bQ
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) December 8, 2025
This is all going to hinge on what Giannis wants at the end of the day. The modern NBA has shown us that star players get what they want, so if Giannis wants out, that’s what’s going to happen.
The Bucks have tried in recent years to field a competitive team around Giannis, but their moves have mostly backfired. Their trade for Dame Lillard never panned out, and then this summer’s move when they cut Dame to make room for Myles Turner reeked of desperation.
At 10-15, it obviously hasn’t had the desired effect, and with Giannis set to miss so much time, things are bound to get even worse. This is a situation where both the player and the team could use a fresh start.
The Bucks may not want to trade Giannis, but wishing it away won’t make it so. Unless he’s the most loyal man on earth, there’s only one way this is going to go. All that’s left is to see which team ends up getting him and when.
