The Milwaukee Bucks sit at the bottom of the Eastern Conference after the 114-116 loss against the Cleveland Cavaliers tonight. Their terrible 1-6 start to the season has set off rumors around the future of Giannis Antetokounmpo at the franchise.
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NJ.com‘s NBA insider Adam Zagoria reported that several NBA executives are of the opinion that Antetokounmpo is going to be a trade target sooner or later. However, there are different perspectives doing the rounds around the league as to when the Greek Freak is likely to make the call.
A top executive whose team “could be in the mix” to land Giannis shared, “I wouldn’t be surprised if it happened by the trade deadline.”
The deadline for player trades this season falls on February 6. And, if Milwaukee fail to get to even a .500 record by Week 10, it’s unlikely that Antetokounmpo will be happy staying with them.
The Bucks know they have to steady the ship and do it soon, and possibly Giannis would want to help them through the tough phase too. This is possibly prompting another NBA executive to be confident that Antetokounmpo will see out the full 2024-25 season in Cream City.
“Not till this summer at the earliest,” the executive commented, adding the Miami Heat, the Brooklyn Nets, Houston Rockets and the LA Clippers are potential landing spots for Giannis should he demand a trade.
However, both Brooklyn and LA are not ideal teams for the Greek Freak. If he demands a trade, it will be to ensure that his prime is spent vying for a championship. Both the Nets and the Clippers don’t have the roster to make that happen.
Any trade for Antetokounmpo will involve at least two star players and a handful of first-round picks. Only the Houston Rockets seem to have the resources to make such an offer without completely handicapping the roster.
Another source from the Western Conference insisted that “the only places I can see him going are Miami or [the] LA [Clippers].”
If the Heat can retain Jimmy Butler and either Tyler Herro or Bam Adebayo after trading for Giannis, they may be able to entice the Greek Freak.
Clearly, it is up to the Bucks now to keep these speculations at bay, and retain their star.
What can Milwaukee do to hold on to Antetokounmpo?
Since 2020, the Bucks ownership has consistently prioritized Giannis, making several trades to ensure that he would see a winning future in Milwaukee. The trade for Jrue Holiday was their first signal of intent and it only took a month after that for Antetokounmpo to sign a contract extension.
The same trend repeated last season. Giannis was set to enter free agency in 2025, and the Bucks, desperate to retain their two-time MVP, traded Holiday to land Damian Lillard. Two weeks later, Antetokounmpo signed a three-year $184 million extension that will keep him in town through at least the 2026-27 season.
Now, there don’t seem to be any more cards left for the Bucks front office to play. The blockbuster trade for Lillard shook up their roster. And Milwaukee’s early playoff exit was attributed largely to the fact that Dame and Giannis were still not completely used to playing alongside each other.
However, having spent a full off-season together, they don’t have any excuses for the dismal record through two weeks of the new season.
Antetokounmpo has the choice to either demand a trade or wait three years and opt out of his player option to enter free agency in 2027. Either way, what happens in Milwaukee this year has the potential to change the landscape of the NBA.
