Giannis Antetokounmpo has not requested a trade from the Milwaukee Bucks and may wait until deep into the offseason to fully decide whether he wants to remain with the franchise that drafted him in 2013.
"From what I'm told, his status will not be tied to the NBA draft," said Shams Charania. "It won't be tied to free agency. It's much more likely that his future plays out into July and into August, in terms of him seeing the landscape of not only the Bucks, seeing the landscape of the league, seeing what other teams do. I mean, listen, when you're a star of that caliber, the league moves how you want it to move. The league will move when you're ready to ask for a trade, or if you're ready to then say, 'I'm staying. I want to be back.'
"Of course, around the league, there is a level of skepticism because Giannis Antetokounmpo has been loyal. He's been there 12 years. His brand is all about loyalty right now. So there's a level of skepticism: does he really go through with it? There's a difference between being open-minded and, from what I'm told, exploring other options—actively exploring other options. There's a difference between doing that and asking for a trade. He's in the process of figuring out exactly what he wants to do."
For his part, Antetokounmpo has given hints he still wants to remain with the Bucks for another run to the Finals.
The Bucks have Antetokounmpo under contract through at least the 2026-27 season, as his new three-year extension will kick in with this coming season, with a player option for the 2027-28 season. Antetokounmpo is set to be on the book for a projected max salary of $54.1 million for next season.
"From my understanding, I think Jon Horst and Doc Rivers genuinely believe this team can compete in the Eastern Conference," added Charania.