{"id":567923,"date":"2026-01-29T06:00:20","date_gmt":"2026-01-29T06:00:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/567923\/"},"modified":"2026-01-29T06:00:20","modified_gmt":"2026-01-29T06:00:20","slug":"everything-we-know-about-a-potential-giannis-antetokounmpo-trade","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/567923\/","title":{"rendered":"Everything We Know About a Potential Giannis Antetokounmpo Trade"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Giannis Antetokounmpo era in Milwaukee appears increasingly likely to be over. On Wednesday, ESPN reported Antetokounmpo was \u201cready for a new home\u201d<\/a> and the Bucks, after months of fanning away offers for their franchise player, are finally willing to field them. Let\u2019s unpack a few key questions Milwaukee faces before the Feb. 5 trade deadline.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Why now?<\/p>\n

Antetokounmpo\u2019s calf injury\u2014which he says will sideline him for four to six weeks\u2014was the final nail in his Bucks coffin. Up until that point the Bucks had been aggressively shopping for upgrades, sources tell Sports Illustrated, with the moveable contracts of Kyle Kuzma and Bobby Portis in play. Milwaukee\u2019s front office believed, or maybe just hoped, it could pull another rabbit out of its hat and convince Antetokounmpo to stay.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The latest injury changed that thinking. With Antetokounmpo out indefinitely, Milwaukee\u2019s mindset has clearly shifted. At 18\u201327, the Bucks are 3 \u00bd games back of the final play-in spot. Milwaukee is 3\u201312 without Antetokounmpo this season, making it more likely the team will sink in the standings than tread water in his absence.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Essentially, the Bucks seem to have realized that it\u2019s over.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Will they pull off a trade before the deadline?<\/p>\n

There will be suitors. Several of them. As SI reported on Tuesday, the Warriors have made the Bucks aware that a Jimmy Butler\/Jonathan Kuminga\u2013headlined package is available<\/a>, which Golden State can sweeten with a handful of first-round picks and swaps. The Knicks, long a suitor for Antetokounmpo, will make an offer. As will Miami and Toronto. And there will be more.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The question is, can the Bucks maximize Antetokounmpo\u2019s value? The Knicks and Heat are limited with the amount of draft capital they can include in a deal. The Warriors have the picks but unless Milwaukee is bullish on Kuminga, they can\u2019t offer any blue-chip young players. Toronto will undoubtedly push back on any attempt to extract Scottie Barnes. Antetokounmpo has been a once-in-a-generation player in Milwaukee. The Bucks need a return worthy of that talent.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Will they punt a decision to the offseason?<\/p>\n

There\u2019s merit to this. Wait until the summer and the offers will get better. Miami and New York will have more picks to deal after the season. So, too, will the Lakers, a team that plays in a market Antetokounmpo could find appealing. Moreover, other teams could get involved. San Antonio and Detroit are satisfied with the makeup of their young rosters. But if either flame out early in the postseason, that could add a new suitor to the mix.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Antetokounmpo wouldn\u2019t have to return to the Bucks\u2019 lineup, either. Two calf injuries in one season is enough of a reason to shut Antetokounmpo down. If Milwaukee is preparing for a life after Antetokounmpo, they need young talent. Sinking further into the standings\u2014and higher into the lottery before a loaded draft\u2014is in the Bucks\u2019 best interest now.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Is there a risk? Sure. Antetokounmpo, with just one year left on his contract, will have even more control on his next destination. No team is surrendering the kind of haul the Bucks will be looking for if they believe Antetokounmpo does not want to be there. But there are so many places he could want to be\u2014Golden State, Miami, New York, Los Angeles\u2014that it may be a risk worth taking.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Bucks<\/p>\n

Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo takes a shot against Timberwolves center Naz Reid in a game earlier this season. | Benny Sieu-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Will Giannis Antetokounmpo be on the Bucks on Feb. 6?\u00a0<\/p>\n

The bet here is \u2026 yes. There\u2019s no pressure on Milwaukee with Antetokounmpo out of the lineup. And there\u2019s far too much potential for bigger offers in the summer. Do I think Antetokounmpo has played his last game for the Bucks? Yes. Do I think his time on the roster is nearing an end. No \u2026 not for another few months.\u00a0<\/p>\n

More NBA from Sports Illustrated<\/p>\n

Listen to SI\u2019s NBA podcast, Open Floor, below or on Apple<\/a> and Spotify<\/a>. Watch the show on SI\u2019s YouTube channel<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Giannis Antetokounmpo era in Milwaukee appears increasingly likely to be over. On Wednesday, ESPN reported Antetokounmpo was…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":567924,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[3775],"tags":[7,103,102,121,3871,6],"class_list":{"0":"post-567923","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-milwaukee-bucks","8":"tag-basketball","9":"tag-bucks","10":"tag-milwaukee","11":"tag-milwaukee-bucks","12":"tag-milwaukeebucks","13":"tag-nba"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/115976865951652113","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/567923","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=567923"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/567923\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/567924"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=567923"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=567923"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=567923"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}