How a Giannis Antetokounmpo Trade Could Shock the NBA

ByJon Alba
Giannis Antetokounmpo

The NBA very well may be the greatest soap opera in all of sports, with player and coaching drama churning the news cycle on a daily basis. Now, it appears As The League Turns as spurred up another major rumor involving one of the NBA’s biggest stars.

CBS’ Bill Reiter reported Thursday Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo could be on the move in the near future, perhaps as soon as the NBA Trade Deadline or before.

So what exactly prompted this? Milwaukee won an NBA title in the 2020-2021 season, with Giannis’ MVP-caliber campaign leading the way. But since, the Bucks have fallen short of title expectations, have fired two coaches, and started the 2024-2025 campaign with bad losses to the defending champion Boston Celtics and the lowly Brooklyn Nets.

Reiter reports the Bucks’ slow start has executives around the league discussing the possibility Giannis could request a trade out of Milwaukee this season, a move that would no doubt turn the association on its head. The Miami Heat and the Nets are two names listed as possible landing spots for the eight-time All-Star. The 30-year-old is averaging nearly 29 points and almost 12 rebounds per game on the young season and would command a strong market, but there could be some difficulties that would emerge from a deal.

Milwaukee signed Antetokounmpo to a three-year max extension last season worth $186 million. He’ll be paid more than $48 million this season, but the terms of the deal escalate significantly over time. The original terms run through 2026-2027 when he is due more than $58 million, but he also carries a player option for the following season that could take the contract up to north of $62 million that year. Couple this with the Bucks trading for the playmaking Damian Lillard last season, and Milwaukee finds itself with a difficult decision to make.

Brooklyn emerging as a potential landing spot for Giannis would radically change the outlook of the league. The Nets went all-in on a “Big 3” of Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden not long ago, with the move backfiring and setting the franchise back several years and pushing them into another reboot. They were already heavy favorites to land consensus 2025 NBA Draft first overall pick Cooper Flagg, and Brooklyn likely has the draft capital and assets to make a potential deal for the “Greek Freak” possible. The team already owns Milwaukee’s first-round pick in 2025, though it is top-4 protected.

While the Heat have more win-now talent in the likes of Jimmy Butler (a pending free agent) and Bam Adebayo, a deal there would be more complicated to maneuver due to assets and money. Reiter also notes in his report Western Conference teams could inquire about Giannis, including last year’s regular-season king of the conference, Oklahoma City. It’s also not impossible to suggest a team like the Golden State Warriors could find themselves calling on the two-time MVP, aiming to squeeze at least one more championship out of Steph Curry as he enters the twilight of his career. The Houston Rockets are also widely expected to be buyers at the NBA Trade Deadline, as they currently sit just outside of the top contenders in the West.

The report indicates teams across the league are “circling” and “hopeful” a deal could come to fruition, especially if Doc Rivers is unable to turn his squad’s early season misfortunes around. Antetokounmpo nor the Bucks have commented on the rumors as of yet.

Jon Alba
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