Portland Trail Blazers Have Expressed Interest In Trading For Milwaukee Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo
The Portland Trail Blazers have expressed interest in trading for Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, according to NBA insider Marc Stein and Jake Fischer of The Stein Line.
Antetokounmpo is ready to leave the Bucks, who are listening to trade offers for the future Hall of Famer. The Greek Freak has a rapport with Trail Blazers guards Damian Lillard and Jrue Holiday.
Antetokounmpo was teammates with Holiday and Lillard in Milwaukee. Holiday and Antetokounmpo won the 2021 championship together against the Phoenix Suns.
“The Stein Line has learned that Portland has also expressed its own interest to the Bucks that it would like to acquire Antetokounmpo … even as the Blazers realistically understand that it would be an extreme longshot to convince Giannis to sign a contract extension that keeps him in the Pacific Northwest,” Stein and Fischer wrote.
“The far more likely scenario remains Portland participating in such a deal as a facilitator to snag an impact veteran (or two) as part of a multi-team trade structure. It should be noted, though, that the Blazers do have Jrue Holiday and Damian Lillard on their roster — two players who have maintained a closeness with Milwaukee’s star.
“Yet we repeat: The Blazers continue to be regarded as a plausible facilitator if an Antetokounmpo deal reaches the finish line in the next five days. As we’ve been reporting since last weekend, Portland has long admired the likes of New York’s Mikal Bridges as a potential backcourt partner alongside Lillard and have a player in Holiday that the Knicks and other teams believe would enhance their chances of getting Antetokounmpo to their franchise if Holiday can also be acquired from Portland.”
One of the best players in NBA history, Antetokounmpo is making $54.1 million this season. He has a player option worth $62.8 million for the 2027-28 season. The 31-year-old doesn’t have a no-trade clause in his contract, so he can’t control where the Bucks trade him.
Milwaukee has lost in the first round of the playoffs three years in a row. Antetokounmpo is tired of losing and is ready to start the next chapter of his NBA career.
Several teams are pursuing Antetokounmpo even though the forward is expected to miss the next four to six weeks with a right calf injury. Antetokounmpo has appeared in 30 games this season. He’s averaging 28.0 points, 10.0 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game.
A top 75 player of all time, 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.
The 2026 NBA trade deadline is February 5 at 3 p.m. ET. It will be intriguing to see if Antetokounmpo and the Bucks ultimately part ways.
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