WT: Giannis Antetokounmpo's Future With Bucks 'The Elephant In The Room' In NBA

[Raps in 4]

Giannis is not coming here. If he is going to leave his "franchise" its going to be for a team with a much better chance at the title or a huge media market.

I think Houston is interesting, a huge Nigerian population + Hakeem, and they have a elite defensive roster needing an elite scorer like him. They would still be worse than OKC but that potentially puts them 2nd best team in the West (depends on what is traded) with a chance to win it.


also Scottie would have to be included in any Giannis trade no matter if he puts them on the list or not unless u win the lotto.

He doesn't have full control over where he goes. He's still under contract until 2028.

He could say "I want to play for the Lakers". But the Bucks don't have to give him away for free. They might, because the NBA is rigged and the owners collude (we just saw the Mavs give Luka away for free), but they could also say no.

What is more likely is they give him a list of teams that can come up with competitive offers and ask him to pick from that.

The Lakers, Warriors, Clippers, and Heat absolutely cannot come up with competitive basketball offers. The only way he goes to any of those teams is if Silver convinces the owners to make the trade (on the basis that it'll increase league revenue), or the owners themselves agree to some alternate backroom compensation.

[JB7]

Giannis is not coming here. If he is going to leave his "franchise" its going to be for a team with a much better chance at the title or a huge media market.

I think Houston is interesting, a huge Nigerian population + Hakeem, and they have a elite defensive roster needing an elite scorer like him. They would still be worse than OKC but that potentially puts them 2nd best team in the West (depends on what is traded) with a chance to win it.


also Scottie would have to be included in any Giannis trade no matter if he puts them on the list or not unless u win the lotto.

He doesn't have full control over where he goes. He's still under contract until 2028.

He could say "I want to play for the Lakers". But the Bucks don't have to give him away for free. They might, because the NBA is rigged and the owners collude (we just saw the Mavs give Luka away for free), but they could also say no.

What is more likely is they give him a list of teams that can come up with competitive offers and ask him to pick from that.

The Lakers, Warriors, Clippers, and Heat absolutely cannot come up with competitive basketball offers. The only way he goes to any of those teams is if Silver convinces the owners to make the trade (on the basis that it'll increase league revenue), or the owners themselves agree to some alternate backroom compensation.

Giannis has a player option in 2027-28. So 2 seasons left, before he can opt out. Probably enough leverage (combined with what he has done for the Bucks) for him to dictate where he wants to go.

[Raps in 4]

Giannis is not coming here. If he is going to leave his "franchise" its going to be for a team with a much better chance at the title or a huge media market.

I think Houston is interesting, a huge Nigerian population + Hakeem, and they have a elite defensive roster needing an elite scorer like him. They would still be worse than OKC but that potentially puts them 2nd best team in the West (depends on what is traded) with a chance to win it.


also Scottie would have to be included in any Giannis trade no matter if he puts them on the list or not unless u win the lotto.

He doesn't have full control over where he goes. He's still under contract until 2028.

He could say "I want to play for the Lakers". But the Bucks don't have to give him away for free. They might, because the NBA is rigged and the owners collude (we just saw the Mavs give Luka away for free), but they could also say no.

What is more likely is they give him a list of teams that can come up with competitive offers and ask him to pick from that.

The Lakers, Warriors, Clippers, and Heat absolutely cannot come up with competitive basketball offers. The only way he goes to any of those teams is if Silver convinces the owners to make the trade (on the basis that it'll increase league revenue), or the owners themselves agree to some alternate backroom compensation.

Giannis has a player option in 2027-28. So 2 seasons left, before he can opt out. Probably enough leverage (combined with what he has done for the Bucks) for him to dictate where he wants to go.

It doesn't matter how much he's done for the organization. You don't give an asset like that away for free. He could pull a Butler and refuse to play until he's traded to his preferred team, but the team doesn't have to do anything in that case. They can wait out his contract.

They can also trade him to a team he doesn't want to go to, like the Spurs did with Kawhi. With two years left on his contract, he still has value as a mercenary, and teams will trade substantial assets for that.

Unless the Bucks feel they stand to make more money from increased league revenue by giving him to the Lakers or Heat, or they receive backroom compensation from Jeanie or Micky, I don't see any reason why they'd give him away. Owners don't care about how much an employee has done for them.

[ConSarnit]

He doesn't have full control over where he goes. He's still under contract until 2028.

He could say "I want to play for the Lakers". But the Bucks don't have to give him away for free. They might, because the NBA is rigged and the owners collude (we just saw the Mavs give Luka away for free), but they could also say no.

What is more likely is they give him a list of teams that can come up with competitive offers and ask him to pick from that.

The Lakers, Warriors, Clippers, and Heat absolutely cannot come up with competitive basketball offers. The only way he goes to any of those teams is if Silver convinces the owners to make the trade (on the basis that it'll increase league revenue), or the owners themselves agree to some alternate backroom compensation.

Giannis has a player option in 2027-28. So 2 seasons left, before he can opt out. Probably enough leverage (combined with what he has done for the Bucks) for him to dictate where he wants to go.

It doesn't matter how much he's done for the organization. You don't give an asset like that away for free. He could pull a Butler and refuse to play until he's traded to his preferred team, but the team doesn't have to do anything in that case. They can wait out his contract.

They can also trade him to a team he doesn't want to go to, like the Spurs did with Kawhi. With two years left on his contract, he still has value as a mercenary, and teams will trade substantial assets for that.

Unless the Bucks feel they stand to make more money from increased league revenue by giving him to the Lakers or Heat, or they receive backroom compensation from Jeanie or Micky, I don't see any reason why they'd give him away. Owners don't care about how much an employee has done for them.

They won’t give him away but his pending free agency in 2 years is an equalizer. If Giannis says he won’t sign an extension with your team are you still willing to give up everything? Probably not if you think he’s going to walk in 2 years. This means that non-premier markets are likely going to reduce their offers which closes the gap. The fact that he could be a “mercenary” almost assures a reduced offer (still very good but not the AD or PG3 type packages).

I think we have to rule out the LA teams but MIA and GSW can still put together packages of multiple 1sts. The front runners are likely HOU and SAS, teams with assets and desirable locations.

[JB7]

Giannis has a player option in 2027-28. So 2 seasons left, before he can opt out. Probably enough leverage (combined with what he has done for the Bucks) for him to dictate where he wants to go.

It doesn't matter how much he's done for the organization. You don't give an asset like that away for free. He could pull a Butler and refuse to play until he's traded to his preferred team, but the team doesn't have to do anything in that case. They can wait out his contract.

They can also trade him to a team he doesn't want to go to, like the Spurs did with Kawhi. With two years left on his contract, he still has value as a mercenary, and teams will trade substantial assets for that.

Unless the Bucks feel they stand to make more money from increased league revenue by giving him to the Lakers or Heat, or they receive backroom compensation from Jeanie or Micky, I don't see any reason why they'd give him away. Owners don't care about how much an employee has done for them.

They won’t give him away but his pending free agency in 2 years is an equalizer. If Giannis says he won’t sign an extension with your team are you still willing to give up everything? Probably not if you think he’s going to walk in 2 years. This means that non-premier markets are likely going to reduce their offers which closes the gap. The fact that he could be a “mercenary” almost assures a reduced offer (still very good but not the AD or PG3 type packages).

I think we have to rule out the LA teams but MIA and GSW can still put together packages of multiple 1sts. The front runners are likely HOU and SAS, teams with assets and desirable locations.

Also, owners do care about how stars perceive them, if they are intent on trying to retain future players. So the Bucks won't want to screw over Giannis, especially after he has resigned multiple times and won them a championship.

I think though the front runners would be teams like LAL and GSW, who already have star guards that would pair nicely with Giannis for a championship contender. Plus they are big markets. I was listening to the Ringer NBA Show (Group Chat), and I think it was Woz who said don't underestimate the power of a big market with Giannis, since he has always been in a small market. Jersey sales and marketability will be huge for Giannis. I think he mentioned how Luka's jersey sales went through the roof when he was traded to the Lakers.

[NinjaBro]

Need Siakim to lay another beating on the Bucks tonight.

[anotherhomer]

makes a lot of sense he goes to OKC, but somehow houston may get him

[bballsparkin]

makes a lot of sense he goes to OKC, but somehow houston may get him

It would be boring if he goes to OKC. I'd much rather Houston as his destination. Giannis, Jokic, Wemby and Chet all in the West. Hopefully Edey keeps improving.

[ArthurVandelay]

Didn’t read whole thread. Hope this hasn’t been posted. Good read.

https://www.theringer.com/2025/04/22/nba/giannis-antetokounmpo-nba-trade-rumors-bucks-playoffs-2025

Yet every possible statistical query one might run on Antetokounmpo has him communing with legends. He has been in the top four in MVP voting for seven consecutive seasons, a feat previously accomplished by just six players who’d be on anyone’s all-time top-10 list. He has more seasons with per-game averages of 30 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists than either Wilt Chamberlain or Oscar Robertson—all in Antetokounmpo’s three most recent seasons. He’s also shot better than 60 percent from the field in back-to-back seasons, which is something that the basketball world has just decided to take for granted, I guess. Wilt never did that in his prime; Shaq got there, but only once he was a clear second option behind Dwyane Wade in Miami; Kareem had only one season at 60 percent shooting.

Shaq and Giannis are damn near statistical doppelgängers when you compare their output from age 25 to 30, spanning six seasons. Shaq averaged 28.1 points and 11.8 rebounds, shooting 57.6 percent from the field on 19.1 field goal attempts per game in that span; Giannis averaged 29.9 points and 11.9 rebounds, shooting 57.5 percent on 19.2 field goal attempts per game. Of course, Antetokounmpo’s overall field goal percentage is skewed by long-distance attempts that Shaq never took. (Giannis’s average shot distance across his career is more than twice Shaq’s.) Giannis’s 2-point field goal percentage over the past six seasons (62.4 percent) tops that of any single season Shaq ever produced in his prime.

It’s time to place Antetokounmpo as the most physically dominant player of his era, and right up there with Wilt and Shaq as the most physically dominant players in league history. But “there is something backhanded in the nature of the most dominant debate as it pertains to the NBA—it’s a consolation of sorts,” I wrote last year about Embiid. “‘Dominance’ is often cast as something separate from ‘best.’” The only player with a better 2-point field goal percentage than Antetokounmpo over the past six seasons, on at least 10 attempts per game? Nikola Jokic.

Money shot:

It’s been frighteningly easy to take his remarkable run for granted.

[Pointgod]

Giannis has a player option in 2027-28. So 2 seasons left, before he can opt out. Probably enough leverage (combined with what he has done for the Bucks) for him to dictate where he wants to go.

It doesn't matter how much he's done for the organization. You don't give an asset like that away for free. He could pull a Butler and refuse to play until he's traded to his preferred team, but the team doesn't have to do anything in that case. They can wait out his contract.

They can also trade him to a team he doesn't want to go to, like the Spurs did with Kawhi. With two years left on his contract, he still has value as a mercenary, and teams will trade substantial assets for that.

Unless the Bucks feel they stand to make more money from increased league revenue by giving him to the Lakers or Heat, or they receive backroom compensation from Jeanie or Micky, I don't see any reason why they'd give him away. Owners don't care about how much an employee has done for them.

They won’t give him away but his pending free agency in 2 years is an equalizer. If Giannis says he won’t sign an extension with your team are you still willing to give up everything? Probably not if you think he’s going to walk in 2 years. This means that non-premier markets are likely going to reduce their offers which closes the gap. The fact that he could be a “mercenary” almost assures a reduced offer (still very good but not the AD or PG3 type packages).

I think we have to rule out the LA teams but MIA and GSW can still put together packages of multiple 1sts. The front runners are likely HOU and SAS, teams with assets and desirable locations.

I think you’re both right. Giannis has a little bit of a say of where he ends up but he can’t outright select a destination like he could if he was heading into the last year of his contract. 2 years is a long time and a lot can change from a players perspective. I remember Donovan Mitchell only wanted to be in New York and he ended up extending with the Cavs and now they’re an expected to compete for a championship. The point is with 2 years left on the contract, a lot of front offices will still put out their best offers and take a swing on convincing Giannis to stay. I still think every team in the league will put out their best offers if Giannis is on the block.

[ConSarnit]

It doesn't matter how much he's done for the organization. You don't give an asset like that away for free. He could pull a Butler and refuse to play until he's traded to his preferred team, but the team doesn't have to do anything in that case. They can wait out his contract.

They can also trade him to a team he doesn't want to go to, like the Spurs did with Kawhi. With two years left on his contract, he still has value as a mercenary, and teams will trade substantial assets for that.

Unless the Bucks feel they stand to make more money from increased league revenue by giving him to the Lakers or Heat, or they receive backroom compensation from Jeanie or Micky, I don't see any reason why they'd give him away. Owners don't care about how much an employee has done for them.

They won’t give him away but his pending free agency in 2 years is an equalizer. If Giannis says he won’t sign an extension with your team are you still willing to give up everything? Probably not if you think he’s going to walk in 2 years. This means that non-premier markets are likely going to reduce their offers which closes the gap. The fact that he could be a “mercenary” almost assures a reduced offer (still very good but not the AD or PG3 type packages).

I think we have to rule out the LA teams but MIA and GSW can still put together packages of multiple 1sts. The front runners are likely HOU and SAS, teams with assets and desirable locations.

I think you’re both right. Giannis has a little bit of a say of where he ends up but he can’t outright select a destination like he could if he was heading into the last year of his contract. 2 years is a long time and a lot can change from a players perspective. I remember Donovan Mitchell only wanted to be in New York and he ended up extending with the Cavs and now they’re an expected to compete for a championship. The point is with 2 years left on the contract, a lot of front offices will still put out their best offers and take a swing on convincing Giannis to stay. I still think every team in the league will put out their best offers if Giannis is on the block.

My scenario is more so Giannis saying he won’t extend with certain new teams. If he says he’s open to extending wherever then sure, teams will put in close to maximum offers. I would also add that Mitchell has 3 full years left when he was traded from Utah and wasn’t the type of star that Giannis is. Have we ever seen an MVP level player end up somewhere they didn’t want to be? I can’t remember any cases outside of Kawhi (with a bunch of mitigating circumstances). We’ve seen how these things have gone in the past: everything is great until the guy requests a trade and then the mudslinging starts and suddenly it’s not so simple as “trade him for the best offer no matter who the team is”.

Giannis is also smart. He’s used his leverage in extension talks to get the Bucks to make big moves (both the Jrue and Dame trades). Is he going to want to go to a team that has given up everything to acquire him? My guess is no given the point in his career he is at. He’ll want a turn key title contender and that might mean trying to get himself to a team with less than optimal assets. Don’t get me wrong, I still think he’d return a great haul but I wouldn’t be shocked if it’s less than what we think. I also think he’ll have a list of teams but it might not include the major trade players (ex. OKC) and that might cool the offers somewhat.

[Ell Curry]

I think Houston or OKC probably gets him, they have more assets. But I think we're in the top 5 teams.

Houston kinda an odd fit with their shooting issues. If Giannis gets dealt somewhere, though, Lillard for Van Vleet and a first or young player makes a ton of sense to me. Houston needs a scoring upgrade, they can probably hide him defensively fairly well, and this move would be cheap and not require moving the Phoenix picks.

OKC it's hard to say if the financial thing can work, unless they throw Chet or J-Dub in the deal as the main asset instead of a million firsts.

Could definitely involve the Pelicans, who have the Bucks next couple picks.

Scottie and picks might appeal to Milwaukee. Maybe we move Poeltl to a 3rd team and the Bucks get an asset. No idea if Giannis is that into Quickley, RJ and Ingram as a supporting cast. Very likely not.

Spurs make sense. Credible organization, they have Wemby as a stretchy big to pair with Giannis, they have #8 and #14 in this draft, some other firsts (Atlanta's, their owns) and Castle as decent starts to Milwaukee's long rebuild.

[TGM]

Tough call what the Bucks would want for Giannis. Not sure just tearing the team to zero is the way to sell to fans. Maybe for them being a small market they decide to rebuild for 5 years. But if I’m them I got for a young allstar and a bunch of picks to kick off the rebuild. It is a better hedge and worst case you can flip the young star for more picks.

If Giannis goes so does Lillard. Would IQ, Barrett, Barnes, Walter and 4 firsts for Giannis and Dam be possible. It would be a total reshuffle, which I doubt the Raps would do.

But a starting 5 of

Dam - Shead
Ochai - Dick - Lawson
Ingram - Battle -
Giannis - Mogbo - Chomche
Jakob - Malauch -

This line-up with its depth could compete for a chip.

[Son Goku 25]

Dame is so damn overrated and has been for the past 2 or 3 seasons. I said I'd rather have Jrue and I guess I was right, he's more of a winning player but ya you need obv stars around him kind of like Lowry.

[Psubs]

Tough call what the Bucks would want for Giannis. Not sure just tearing the team to zero is the way to sell to fans. Maybe for them being a small market they decide to rebuild for 5 years. But if I’m them I got for a young allstar and a bunch of picks to kick off the rebuild. It is a better hedge and worst case you can flip the young star for more picks.

If Giannis goes so does Lillard. Would IQ, Barrett, Barnes, Walter and 4 firsts for Giannis and Dam be possible. It would be a total reshuffle, which I doubt the Raps would do.

But a starting 5 of

Dam - Shead
Ochai - Dick - Lawson
Ingram - Battle -
Giannis - Mogbo - Chomche
Jakob - Malauch -

This line-up with its depth could compete for a chip.

Not both. As long as not #1 Flagg. Let's say #2 Harper.

Harper, Dick, Agbaji, Poeltl, Barrett and a few 1st picks for Giannis and Brook Lopez

PG IQ - Shead - Ja'Kobe
SG Ingram - Ja'Kobe - Lawson
SF Scottie - Mobgo/Battle
PF Giannis - Scottie - Mogbo
C Lopez - Giannis - Chomche

[Randle McMurphy]

Lillard just tore his Achilles. Raptors better be offering anyone on their roster for Giannis this summer.

[CazOnReal]

Lillard just tore his Achilles. Raptors better be offering anyone on their roster for Giannis this summer.

Just so they can be in the same spot as the Bucks are now but with 10 years lacking pick control for us vs 5 for the Bucks right now?

Like, I don't know how anyone gets the thought through their head that we should trade for Giannis when the assets to get him would put us in the same spot: Lacking assets, lacking depth and with a potentially grumpy Giannis who doesn't even have history with the team to potentially convince him to stay despite being stuck in non-contention.

[Godaddycurse]

Lillard just tore his Achilles. Raptors better be offering anyone on their roster for Giannis this summer.

Only way we win bidding is if we win the lottery

[Randle McMurphy]

Lillard just tore his Achilles. Raptors better be offering anyone on their roster for Giannis this summer.

Just so they can be in the same spot as the Bucks are now but with 10 years lacking pick control for us vs 5 for the Bucks right now?

Like, I don't know how anyone gets the thought through their head that we should trade for Giannis when the assets to get him would put us in the same spot: Lacking assets, lacking depth and with a potentially grumpy Giannis who doesn't even have history with the team to potentially convince him to stay despite being stuck in non-contention.

Have no hope and be a treadmill team without a superstar vs. Adding a generational player and trying to figure it out around him

Hmm yeah it’s a real tough one

[Potential]

Read on Twitter