‘I Think The Trade Is Going To Happen This Summer’: NBA Insider Believes Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks Will Finally Part Ways This Offseason
One NBA insider believes Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks will finally part ways this offseason.
NBA insider Jake Fischer of The Stein Line thinks an Antetokounmpo trade “is going to happen this summer.”
“I’ve kept in regular contact with four sources close to the situation who have all maintained that a move to a true title contender is the most likely endgame for the 31-year-old,” Fischer wrote. “And that’s why I think the trade is going to happen this summer. It also remains undeniably true that the Bucks are going to get more attractive offers in the offseason than they could have gotten this month. Miami will have more draft capital available to make a stronger proposal. As Marc Stein wrote here Feb. 4, significant summer salary cap space is expected to make the Lakers a viable suitor in the Giannis Sweepstakes.
“I also continue to hear rival teams musing aloud about Brooklyn’s potential emergence as a credible destination given the Nets’ considerable cache of draft capital to package with, say, Michael Porter Jr. … or with a trade construction that keeps MPJ in place to play alongside Antetokounmpo. It remains to be seen, furthermore, what happens in the playoffs with teams like San Antonio and Houston. Perhaps a team that wasn’t pursuing Antetokounmpo this winter will have a higher level of interest after a playoff disappointment yet to unfold.”
The Bucks never felt urgency to trade Antetokounmpo at this year’s trade deadline. Antetokounmpo and Milwaukee will discuss their future again in the offseason.
The Miami Heat, Minnesota Timberwolves and Golden State Warriors tried to trade for Antetokounmpo at this year’s trade deadline.
The Los Angeles Lakers are a viable threat to trade for Antetokounmpo this offseason because they can offer up to three first-round picks to the Bucks for Antetokounmpo. In addition, Los Angeles can absorb Antetokounmpo’s contract into cap space without Milwaukee having to take back potentially unwanted salary.
The Bucks won the 2021 NBA championship against the Phoenix Suns. However, they have lost in the first round of the playoffs for three consecutive years.
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 holds career averages of 24.0 points, 9.9 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.2 blocks per game.
One of the greatest players in NBA history, Antetokounmpo has a player option worth $62.8 million for the 2027-28 season. The Bucks can offer Antetokounmpo an extension this offseason.
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