DHJ Quick Take: Bucks Closing in on Blockbuster Giannis Trade
- Imminent Draft Deadline: The Milwaukee Bucks are widely expected to trade superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo to either the Boston Celtics or Miami Heat before the 2026 NBA Draft gets underway.
- Boston’s Star-Studded Offer: The Celtics are offering a massive headliner, centering their trade package on five-time All-Star Jaylen Brown in a rare swap of top-tier NBA superstars.
- Miami’s Asset-Driven Package: In contrast, the Heat are building their package around high-value, cost-controlled players alongside significant draft capital, which includes the No. 13 overall pick in this year’s draft.
The Milwaukee Bucks are expected to trade Giannis Antetokounmpo to the Boston Celtics or Miami Heat before the start of the 2026 NBA Draft, according to Shams Charania of ESPN.
The 2026 draft is on Tuesday, June 23.
“Boston’s offer centers on five-time All-Star Jaylen Brown in a proposed swap of two of the NBA’s top players, sources told Charania. The Heat, on the other hand, have offered players on cost-controlled contracts and significant draft capital to the Bucks, according to sources. Miami has the No. 13 pick in this year’s draft.”
The Bucks and Heat missed the playoffs this season, while the Celtics lost to the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round in seven games despite taking a 3-1 lead. Boston wants to pair Antetokounmpo with Jayson Tatum, while Miami eyes creating a “Big 2” of Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo. Giannis and Bam have the same agent.
Multiple sources have told Dallas Hoops Journal that Antetokounmpo wants to play for an East Coast team because the East Coast is close to Greece. Antetokounmpo’s wife and children don’t live with him in America during the NBA season. They reside in Greece.
Miami and Boston are on the East Coast.
Antetokounmpo will make $58.5 million next season. He has a player option worth $62.8 million for the 2027-28 season. The Bucks signed Antetokounmpo to a three-year, $175 million extension in 2023. The star forward doesn’t have a no-trade clause in his contract.
A future Hall of Famer, Antetokounmpo is a two-time MVP, one-time Finals MVP, one-time Defensive Player of the Year and 10-time All-Star. He has been in the NBA since 2013. The 31-year-old won back-to-back MVPs in 2019 and 2020 and became the third player in NBA history to win MVP and Defensive Player of the Year in the same season in 2020.
Antetokounmpo holds career averages of 24.1 points, 9.9 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.2 blocks per game. The Greek Freak led Milwaukee to the 2021 championship, but the Bucks have won just one playoff series since then.
The Antetokounmpo trade saga is almost over. All signs point toward the NBA legend being on a new team soon.
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