DHJ Quick Take
- Formal Trade Availability: Following a season of internal dysfunction, ESPN’s Shams Charania reports that the Milwaukee Bucks are officially “open for business” and fielding trade offers for Giannis Antetokounmpo.
- Fractured Relationship: The move comes after a breakdown in trust between Antetokounmpo and the organization, exacerbated by a league investigation into the Bucks’ decision to “shut him down” late in the season due to a knee injury.
- Robust Market & High Price: While teams like the Knicks, Warriors, Heat, Lakers and Celtics are among those linked, Milwaukee is demanding a massive return that includes young “blue-chip” talent and significant draft capital.
Giannis Antetokounmpo believes the time has come for him and the Milwaukee Bucks to part ways, according to Shams Charania of ESPN.
The Bucks are open for business on trade calls and offers for Antetokounmpo.
“The Bucks engaged in Antetokounmpo trade talks before the February deadline as the franchise cornerstone expressed his belief that the time had come to part ways,” Charania wrote. “They now will again after co-owner Jimmy Haslam stated a resolution is coming before the draft June 23 and 24. Nothing has changed in Antetokounmpo’s stance that the time has come for both sides to move on, sources said.”
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.
The 31-year-old Antetokounmpo led Milwaukee to the 2021 championship in six games against the Phoenix Suns. The Bucks have won only one playoff series since then and missed the playoffs this year for the first time since 2016.
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, Cleveland Cavaliers, Minnesota Timberwolves, Los Angeles Lakers, Portland Trail Blazers, Golden State Warriors and New York Knicks in trade rumors.
Antetokounmpo is eligible to sign a four-year, $275 million extension with the Bucks on October 1.
“Sometime over the next six or seven weeks we’ll decide whether Giannis is going to sign a max contract and stay with us or he’s going to play somewhere else,” Haslam told reporters during a news conference introducing Taylor Jenkins as the Bucks’ new head coach. “And [general manager] Jon [Horst] and Taylor, along with [co-owner] Wes [Edens] and myself, will make that call, and we understand the gravity of that call.”
All signs point toward the Bucks trading Antetokounmpo this offseason. It will be fascinating to see where Giannis is playing next season.
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