DHJ Quick Take: Antetokounmpo’s Fading Dallas Appeal
- Dončić Partnership Goal: Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo was previously interested in playing for the Dallas Mavericks specifically to team up with Luka Dončić.
- Altered Landscape: The Mavericks’ appeal has significantly dropped following last season’s blockbuster trade that sent Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers, alongside the recent departure of head coach Jason Kidd.
- Deadline Due Diligence: Despite the roster overhaul, Dallas management conducted behind-the-scenes investigating leading up to the 2026 February trade deadline to gauge if they still held appeal for Giannis, who is widely expected to be moved by Milwaukee this offseason.
Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo was interested in playing for the Dallas Mavericks with Luka Dončić, according to Marc Stein of The Stein Line.
Dallas, though, traded Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers last season.
The Mavericks did some behind-the-scenes investigating leading up to the 2026 February trade deadline to try to find out if they still appeal to Antetokounmpo, who is expected to get traded by the Bucks this offseason. Dallas probably doesn’t intrigue Antetokounmpo anymore since Dončić and Jason Kidd are gone.
The Bucks are open for business on trade calls and offers for Antetokounmpo, who believes the time has come for him and the franchise to part ways. Meanwhile, the Mavericks are building around Cooper Flagg and Kyrie Irving, who will play next season after not playing this season.
Antetokounmpo guided the Bucks to the 2021 championship in six games against the Phoenix Suns. Milwaukee has won just one playoff series since then and missed the playoffs this year for the first time since 2016.
A future Hall of Famer, Antetokounmpo has spent his entire NBA career with the Bucks. He’s a two-time MVP, one-time Finals MVP, one-time Defensive Player of the Year and 10-time All-Star.
Antetokounmpo will make $58.5 million next season. He has a player option worth $62.8 million for the 2027-28 season.
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. The superstar forward has been linked to the Boston Celtics, Miami Heat, Houston Rockets, Cleveland Cavaliers, Minnesota Timberwolves, Los Angeles Lakers, Portland Trail Blazers, Golden State Warriors and New York Knicks in trade rumors.
All signs point toward the Bucks trading Antetokounmpo this offseason. It will be intriguing to see where Giannis is playing next season.
New Mavericks president Masai Ujiri spoke highly of Irving while addressing reporters following the parting of ways with Kidd. As of this writing, there is no indication that Dallas is looking to move Irving this summer, sources said.
The Mavericks have the ninth overall pick in this year’s draft. Ujiri hired Mike Schmitz as Dallas’ new general manager.
In his role, Schmitz will help lead all areas of basketball operations, including scouting, player personnel, strategic planning and organizational collaboration across departments.
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