Following an offseason of quiet whispers across the NBA landscape, the future of one of the league’s brightest superstars now seems more in flux than ever. Rumors swirled over the summer that Giannis Antetokounmpo could force his way out of the Milwaukee Bucks’ organization after flaming out of the playoffs yet again — with the team struggling near the bottom of the Eastern Conference playoff picture over the first leg of the season, the multi-time MVP could leave sooner rather than later according to new reports.
The entire Association will surely be interested in the star if he becomes available. What teams are the best landing spots for Giannis Antetokounmpo if he does indeed demand a trade?
Top Giannis Antetokounmpo trade fits
Antetokounmpo has spent much of his career speaking about his love of Milwaukee and the value of loyalty, but the situation has clearly taken a turn in recent weeks. After the Bucks failed to advance beyond the first round of the postseason for the third consecutive year and co-star Damian Lillard tore his Achilles, the franchise underwent some pretty significant changes. Milwaukee released Lillard and ate a massive salary cap hit in the process, let Brook Lopez walk and signed Myles Turner to a massive contract in free agency, then dedicated major roles to younger unproven players like A.J. Green and Ryan Rollins. The results have been less than encouraging over the first month and a half of the campaign with the team sitting 9-13, good for 11th in the Eastern Conference while also weathering injuries to multiple players, including Antetokounmpo himself.
The Bucks don’t look like title contenders and are a far cry from the 2021 iteration of the lineup which won an NBA Championship. With a depleted war chest of assets severely lacking standout young talent alongside few draft picks, the path to improvement appears muddy at best and impassable at worst. With the franchise floundering, the latest reporting from ESPN’s Shams Charania indicates that Antetokounmpo and his agent are having conversations with the team regarding the star’s future in Milwaukee.
Antetokounmpo, who turns 31 on December 6, continues to play at an MVP level when healthy. In 16 games this season, he averages 30.6 points while shooting a career-best 63.9% from the field and dishing out 6.4 assists per night. Of course, his impact on the glass remains stellar with 10.7 rebounds per game — including a career-high 3.5 offensive rebounds — and contributes 2.0 combined stocks as well. With the nine-time All-NBA honoree still at the peak of his powers, the trade market will prove robust, to put it lightly.
If Antetokounmpo’s conversations with the team do end with an agreement that a trade works best for both parties, what teams make sense as the best potential suitors?
New York Knicks
Fans of the Knicks love to talk about how every player wants to come play at Madison Square Garden, but per ESPN, reports of Antetokounmpo’s interest in the team is more than just speculation. The multi-time MVP was allegedly open to playing for New York and Charania’s sources described an “exclusive negotiating window” which took place for the franchise back in August, though no trade materialized at the time. With Antetokounmpo’s interest noted, could he make his way to the Big Apple and call the Mecca of Basketball his home floor? It’s certainly possible.
The Knicks currently sit fourth in the Eastern Conference at 13-7 on the season and clearly built out a winning core after making the conference finals just last postseason. The chance to play in a massive media market may appeal to Antetokounmpo, who can continue to build out his personal brand in the spotlight for one of the sport’s most iconic franchises while competing for a title. However, the barrier here is that New York doesn’t possess a surplus of draft capital or a young cornerstone piece, possibly holding the team back in potential trade conversations. Still, the thought of the Greek Freak running the pick-and-roll alongside Jalen Brunson is enticing, so the franchise will almost surely inquire about his availability once again if the option arises.
San Antonio Spurs
Another enticing option lies deep in the heart of Texas. The San Antonio Spurs hold a 14-6 record and also sit fourth in a tough top half of the Western Conference despite weathering an injury to Victor Wembanyama over the last several games. While not considered a true title contender at the moment, the Spurs aren’t far out of the picture thanks to their young French superstar and are certainly in the mix to make the NBA Playoffs for the first time since 2019. Of course, pairing Antetokounmpo with Wembanyama to form the league’s most freakish frontcourt duo holds plenty of appeal — stopping their combination of size and two-way prowess would prove nearly impossible for opponents and could catapult the team into Larry O’Brien conversations with guard De’Aaron Fox playing a third-star role.
A potential deal makes a ton of sense on the Spurs’ side, but it also checks out for the Bucks as well. San Antonio could send over 19-year-old guard Dylan Harper, the No. 2 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, as the centerpiece of a trade. While the Spurs don’t boast a ton of first-round picks in their arsenal, they’d likely be willing to part with the remaining draft capital for an MVP-level talent and do have several other young players who could help kickstart a rebuild in Milwaukee.
Other potential options
For a player of Antetokounmpo’s caliber, it would be shocking if most teams in the league don’t at least try and check in on his availability. Beyond the Knicks and Spurs, plenty of other landing spots make sense:
- The Miami Heat always seem to find themselves in the hunt for big fish, though it rarely works out with a catch in the end. After chasing a franchise-altering star for the last several years, Antetokounmpo will absolutely be on the wish list for Pat Riley. The Heat are off to a surprising 14-7 start at third in the conference standings, and the team has a couple of young-ish All-Stars in Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo along with some other intriguing talents. Plus, they own almost all of their first-round picks for the foreseeable future. Could Giannis be Miami’s white whale?
- Sam Presti and the Oklahoma City Thunder possess an embarrassment of riches with the hoard of future draft capital in their coffers. In theory, the front office could field the most competitive offer of any trade suitor thanks to that jam-packed war chest, but it would likely cost one of Chet Holmgren or Jalen Williams as well. Would the Thunder want to part with a key member of the core that just won the NBA Championship last year? That’s uncertain, especially with OKC atop the league at 21-1. Pairing Antetokounmpo with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander could all but guarantee a repeat though, so perhaps he’s the player the team’s been waiting to unload for.
- While not a real contender for a title, the Atlanta Hawks won the offseason with some savvy business that has the squad surviving in the absence of star guard Trae Young, who’s spent significant time injured already. They’re 13-9 to this point, so if the decision-makers do some soul-searching and decide to go all-in, Antetokounmpo would become a top target. The real key here? Atlanta holds swap right for struggling New Orleans Pelicans’ first-round picks in 2026 and 2027 (though the latter is protected for No. 1-4). Still, those are very attractive selections that could make a trade package intriguing for Milwaukee.
- The Houston Rockets are contenders at 13-5 with Kevin Durant and Alperen Sengun leading the way. While the franchise supposedly showed interest in Giannis over the offseason, KD emerged as a much cheaper trade target and the front office pulled the trigger. Would the Rockets still hold interest with a surplus of picks? Maybe, but that also depends on whether they’re willing to push more chips in for the immediate future and sacrifice more of the long-term potential with their own young core.
- Would a trade list be complete without the Los Angeles Lakers? Definitely not, so cue up the usual jersey-swap images and prepare for the fans to hit your social feeds. They’re a strong 15-5 behind Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves and a Lebron James who only just returned from injury. Finding ways to make the money and assets work could prove difficult, but a historic franchise and huge media market could entice Antetokounmpo to play alongside Luka.
