DHJ Quick Take: Antetokounmpo Trade Timeline and Suitors
- Draft-Night Deadline: The Milwaukee Bucks are widely expected to trade Giannis Antetokounmpo before the 2026 NBA Draft begins on June 23, setting an imminent timeline for a blockbuster deal.
- Miami Holds the Edge: The Miami Heat remain the favored destination for the future Hall of Famer, a pursuit bolstered by the fact that Antetokounmpo shares an agent with Heat star Bam Adebayo.
- East Contenders Looming: Despite Miami’s frontrunner status, the New York Knicks and Boston Celtics continue to be heavily linked to the superstar forward as potential landing spots.
The Milwaukee Bucks are expected to trade Giannis Antetokounmpo before the 2026 NBA Draft, according to Jake Fischer and Marc Stein of The Stein Line.
The 2026 draft starts on June 23.
Fischer and Stein also report that the Miami Heat remain the favored destination for Antetokounmpo, who has the same agent as Bam Adebayo.
The New York Knicks and Boston Celtics, though, continue to be linked to Antetokounmpo.
“Sources close to the process consistently say that they believe that Miami is at the top of Antetokounmpo’s current wish list but likewise continue to whisper that the idea of landing in Boston is still in his thoughts somewhere,” Fischer and Stein wrote. “Chatter persists that Antetokounmpo, in any case, is determined to stay in the Eastern Conference after 13 seasons as a Buck.”
The Heat and Bucks missed the playoffs this season. Milwaukee has been open for business on trade calls and offers for Antetokounmpo, who feels the time has come for him and the franchise to part ways.
One of the greatest basketball players of all time, Antetokounmpo guided the Bucks to the 2021 championship in six games against the Phoenix Suns. At that moment, it felt like Antetokounmpo would retire as a Buck.
However, Milwaukee has won just one playoff series since then and missed the playoffs this year for the first time since 2016. Antetokounmpo was almost traded at this year’s trade deadline. His relationship with the front office isn’t good anymore.
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 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 top-75 player of all time, Antetokounmpo holds career averages of 24.1 points, 9.9 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.2 blocks per game in the regular season and 27.0 points, 12.2 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 1.0 steals and 1.3 blocks per game in the playoffs.
All signs point toward the Bucks trading Antetokounmpo this offseason. It will be fascinating to see where Giannis is playing next season. Most people who cover the NBA believe the Heat will land the swingman after wanting to get him for years, but until a deal is officially done, Antetokounmpo is still a member of the Milwaukee franchise.
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.
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