Giannis Antetokounmpo came to the Milwaukee Bucks 12 years ago as a rail-thin rookie with bright eyes and a killer work ethic. Over the seasons to follow, the young player not only grew into his frame, but also the role of a franchise icon.
With eight All-NBA selections, two MVP awards, a championship ring and a Finals MVP from that 2021 title run, Antetokounmpo exceeded even the loftiest expectations to become a top-25 player of all-time. He’s the Bucks’ pride and joy, a feeling the big man reciprocated by embracing the city which drafted him.
Nothing lasts forever, though. Over the last couple of years, whispers have swirled around the NBA landscape that Antetokounmpo may not feel satisfied with the Bucks’ direction and could potentially seek a change of scenery. With Milwaukee now eliminated in the first round of the playoffs for the third straight season and Damian Lillard expected to spend most of the next year rehabbing a torn Achilles, is the writing on the wall for a breakup between Giannis and the Bucks?
Giannis Antetokounmpo Next Team Odds
Antetokounmpo typically doesn’t seem like the type of player to make demands. Throughout his career, the big man has consistently maintained a good-natured public persona and has mostly shied away from the NBA rumor mill. He’s said countless times that he loves Milwaukee, and at this point, he and the city are essentially synonymous — after all, he put the Bucks back on the map with their 2021 championship, the team’s first in 50 years.
However, Antetokounmpo’s loyalty to winning might just outweigh his loyalty to the city. This iteration of the Bucks appears to have capped out as they fell 4-1 to the Indiana Pacers in the first round of the NBA Playoffs — the team’s third consecutive early exit. In Game 4 of the series, co-star Damian Lillard suffered a ruptured Achilles, a very tough break for the soon-to-be 35-year-old. The Bucks also don’t maintain sole possession of their own first-round picks until 2031 as several other teams hold swap rights to the selections.
Suddenly, the future feels bleak in Milwaukee. Parting with an icon of Antetokounmpo’s ilk would hurt, but it might be the only way for the Bucks to maintain the long-term health of their franchise. On the player side, Giannis can discuss loyalty all he wants, but would he want to almost certainly waste a full season, if not more by sticking around? He’s already 30 years old, and while he’ll likely play several more years in the NBA, it’s hard to imagine the superstar wants to spend the twilight of his storied career with a team in disarray.
It’s not every day an MVP-caliber talent averaging 30.4 points, 11.9 rebounds, and 6.5 assists a game hits the trade market. If he does request a trade this offseason, the Bucks’ front office phones will ring nonstop with potential suitors. If a trade does materialize, here’s the top three landing spots for the Greek Freak.
Oklahoma City Thunder (+2000)
The Thunder won 68 games this season and put together one of the best campaigns in NBA history to claim the Western Conference’s top seed for the second year in a row. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander somehow took his game up another notch and settled in as an MVP frontrunner alongside Antetokounmpo and Nikola Jokic. The supporting cast in Oklahoma City looks great, too — Jaylen Williams earned his first All-Star nod, Chet Holmgren battled early injuries but is still making an impact, and Isaiah Hartenstein is enjoying a career-best season in his first year with the team.
DraftKings Sportsbook lists Oklahoma City as -175 favorites to win the Western Conference and they remain atop the title odds leaderboard at +150. The Thunder are one of the league’s best teams and have a real shot at winning the NBA Finals, but regardless of this postseason’s outcome, they hold a treasure trove of trade assets with 11 first-round picks between now and 2031. If they fall short in the playoffs, they’d be a real threat to add a true superstar as a running mate for Gilgeous-Alexander. If they win it all? They might still make a move to solidify their chances of going back-to-back.
The framework of a trade feels a bit difficult due to their lack of large salaries, but if any GM can make a deal work, Sam Presti is the man to do it. Watch for the Thunder to sniff around any trade rumors involving Antetokounmpo.
New York Knicks (+3000)
The Knicks are rumored to have held some degree of interest in Antetokounmpo’s services over the last couple of years, though they decided to push most of their chips in for Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges last offseason. They had a successful regular season at 51-31 and the results of those moves remain TBD, though a title run seems unlikely as they must vanquish both the Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics on their way to a Finals appearance. New York currently sits at +1400 to win the Eastern Conference.
They don’t possess a ton of picks after dealing most of their war chest away, but the Knicks might still throw their hat in the ring if Antetokounmpo were to demand a trade. New York could deal the handful of first-rounders they still have control of over the next several seasons in addition to one or two of their starting-caliber players, who the Bucks could either keep or potentially flip for more liquid assets.
A duo of Giannis and Brunson could be scary in the Eastern Conference, but keep an eye on the cross-town Brooklyn Nets, too. Their interest in the Greek superstar is no secret in league circles and they’ve got the asset pool to field a competitive offer.
Houston Rockets (+2000)
The Rockets’ desire to add an All-NBA talent is one of the worst-kept secrets in basketball. There was plenty of talk in recent months that suggested the franchise maintains interest in Kevin Durant and Devin Booker, but there was also some chatter regarding Houston as a possible destination for Antetokounmpo. He’d instantly step in as the team’s best player and elevate an already-ascending squad which finished second in the Western Conference at 52-30.
The Rockets’ roster is loaded with young talent under the age of 25. In fact, the team has so much youth they’ll probably struggle to keep all of their guys on long-term deals once extension season rolls around. With that in mind, it could make sense for them to package a couple of players like Alperen Sengun (who signed his rookie extension last offseason) and Reed Sheppard with a slew of the many future draft picks they own in a deal for Antetokounmpo.
Houston makes sense as a destination, especially if they fall short and flame out of the playoffs due to their youth and inexperience. However, the team’s decision-makers have made it exceedingly clear they won’t make a trade just for the sake of reeling in a big fish. If they don’t feel Antetokounmpo fits their timeline, the Rockets might sit this one out entirely despite his talent.
