The future of Giannis Antetokounmpo has been the biggest story in the NBA for the past several months. There has been plenty of agent-speak, confusing quotes, and dancing around the issue of his unclear future with the Bucks. After going out of his way to avoid officially requesting out of Milwaukee, Antetokounmpo seems to have taken the guardrails off and made his intentions clear, as indicated by the latest report from ESPN’s Shams Charania.
The Bucks currently sit in 12th place in the Eastern Conference with an 18-27 record on the year. Antetokounmpo is sidelined for the foreseeable future with another calf issue, and the chances of his team’s postseason outlook remaining salvageable when he returns feel increasingly unlikely. Antetokounmpo has ascended to a two-time MVP talent in Milwaukee and led the franchise to the 2021 championship. But all good things are not meant to last, and Antetokounmpo desires a fresh start in the same way that the Bucks should be seeking a package to jump-start a rebuild.
DraftKings Sportsbook has been offering odds for where Antetokounmpo will play his next minutes of NBA basketball following the deadline. The Bucks remain -110 favorites, however, the likelihood of the superstar being moved certainly feels to have increased in the past few days.
The Bucks will not find another Antetokounmpo and must be sure to get this deal exactly right to launch the franchise forward in the future. For this reason, it is fair to be skeptical that a deal will go down. There will be more flexibility for teams across the league in the offseason, and Milwaukee cannot afford to get this deal wrong. However, if the right deal presents itself, expect the Bucks to be ready to take advantage. Here are a few teams that will do their best to present an enticing option.
Top Giannis Antetokounmpo trade destinations
New York Knicks (+330)
The Knicks have rebounded a bit from a tough skid in which they went 2-9 over an 11-game stretch, during which some ugly issues reared their head. Frustrations with Karl-Anthony Towns have seemingly hit an all-time high, and the trade package would almost certainly be based around the five-time All-Star. OG Anunoby and some future draft picks could help sweeten the deal if Towns is a player the Bucks are particularly interested in.
However, Charania also noted the Bucks are searching for “Blue-chip young talent and/or a surplus of draft picks” as the trade return. It is worth acknowledging that the Knicks do not truly check either of these boxes. Players like Tyler Kolek and Pacome Dadiet have shown some nice flashes, but are not nearly the caliber of young talent the organization could talk itself into rebuilding around. New York also traded away four unprotected first-round picks, one top-four protected pick, a first-round pick swap, and a second-round pick in exchange for Mikal Bridges, limiting their current assets.
For this deal to occur, it would likely take Antetokounmpo making it clear he wants to go to New York and the Bucks would have to elect to do right by their superstar. Even if this is the case, there are some significant financial hurdles to jump through that Milwaukee simply may not be interested in at this stage of the game.
Miami Heat (+600)
The Heat are constantly lurking in the shadows of these blockbuster deals, and Antetokounmpo will be no different. It is not a tough sell for star players to want to play in Miami, and Antetokounmpo feels like a clean fit for “Heat Culture” in a way some superstars are not. The Heat are coming off back-to-back first-round postseason exits, including being outscored by 122 points in the four-game sweep against the Cavaliers last year. The Heat have a 25-22 record on the season and sit in seventh place in a wide-open Eastern Conference. Antetokounmpo would change their outlook in a major way, and they have the assets to make an appealing offer.
Miami can take back Antetokounmpo’s salary without being impeded by the first-apron hard cap. Tyler Herro and Andrew Wiggins are former All-Stars, Norman Powell is coming off back-to-back career years, and Kel’el Ware, Pelle Larson, Nikola Jovic, and Jaime Jaquez Jr. are a few intriguing young talents on the roster. The Heat also have two available first-round picks to trade in 2030 and 2032. There are teams around the league that could beat this offer, but Miami has every reason to be interested and has been waiting for this type of A-tier star to headline their franchise once again. Expect Pat Riley and Miami to be active and persistent in pursuit.
Toronto Raptors (+1000)
The Toronto Raptors have been one of the more pleasant surprises in the NBA this season. They sit in fourth place in the Eastern Conference with a 29-19 record on the year. Scottie Barnes deserves credit for his All-Star ascension, but it is fair to question if this organization has its 1A star of the future just yet. Going from a very good team to a true championship contender is a difficult leap to make, and trading for a player of Antetokounmpo’s caliber is a unique opportunity that is difficult to pass up.
Toronto has four tradable first-round picks and swaps in each season. It also has some intriguing win-now veterans in Brandon Ingram, RJ Barrett, and Immanuel Quickley, as well as some intriguing young talent in Collin Murray-Boyles, Ja’Kobe Walter, Jamal Shead, and Gradey Dick. Assuming winning is his primary interest, it makes plenty of sense for Antetokounmpo to want to stay in the Eastern Conference, where the pathway to contention is much clearer. The Raptors have exceeded all expectations on the season, but do not appear content just yet. Look for them to get involved in trade discussions over the Bucks’ star and explore all options for maximizing this window of contention which has just popped open.
Final Thoughts
There are teams not included on this list which could put together more compelling offers than my three top picks. But the timing of this situation complicates things. Teams like the Thunder, Rockets, and Spurs could almost certainly put together massive offers above what is currently on the table, but are seeing plenty of on-court success with their current rosters already. The Pistons are in a similar position and have repeatedly stated publicly that they do not have any intentions of skipping steps in their organizational development. A trade of this magnitude is a massive roster shakeup, and Antetokounmpo will alter the style of play of whatever team he joins in a pretty seismic fashion.
The staring contest between Antetokounmpo’s desire to find a new location and the Bucks’ willingness to do so will now be in full swing. Expect the bidding around the NBA to pick up, but for Milwaukee to remain strong on whatever its perceived line of value in a trade return is. Deadlines typically help get things done, but there are plenty of strings attached to this trade equation, which makes things difficult to project. Let the countdown to February 5 begin.
