On Wednesday, December 3, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that Giannis Antetokounmpo and his agent are discussing the superstar’s future with the Milwaukee Bucks. This isn’t the first time that Antetokounmpo has expressed interest in a trade, as he reportedly tried to force his way to the New York Knicks over the offseason. However, with Milwaukee barely in the Play-In Tournament picture in a weak Eastern Conference, the Greek Freak has grown frustrated with his current situation. Now, the expectation is that Antetokounmpo, who is out 2-4 weeks with a calf strain, will implore the Bucks to trade him.
Things should really start to heat up around December 15, when more players become trade eligible after signing new deals over the summer. With that in mind, this feels like a good time to dive into some Antetokounmpo trade thoughts.
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Giannis Antetokounmpo Next Team Odds
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Where Does Giannis Antetokounmpo Want To Go?
If Antetokounmpo had it his way, he’d already be in New York. He has been vocal about wanting to see international stars in big markets, and there’s no bigger brand in basketball than the Knicks.
New York will surely do what it can to try and get the Greek Freak to Madison Square Garden. However, the Knicks depleted their war chest of picks when they acquired Mikal Bridges two summers ago. New York sent five future first-round picks, plus another first-round pick swap, to the Brooklyn Nets in that deal. The Knicks are now short on draft capital they can send to the Bucks.
If Milwaukee accepts that trading Antetokounmpo is the right move for the franchise, it’s highly likely that general manager Jon Horst will take the long view when sifting through trade packages. That likely means that any combination of Karl-Anthony Towns, Bridges, and OG Anunoby won’t be all that enticing. Considering all of that, if the Knicks want to add the All-NBA talent to their roster, they’re going to need to hope a third team is willing to send several first-round picks for those players in a multi-team deal.
The reality is that Antetokounmpo might want New York, but the Knicks are fighting an uphill battle in adding him to a core that is very close to being the class of the East — if it’s not already. Antetokounmpo would essentially need to play hardball, making it clear that it’s New York or nowhere. However, with the megastar being under contract for two more seasons, that’ll be hard for him to do. Other suitors will be able to top the Knicks offer and simply hope they can convince him to stay — or just treat him like a two-year rental.
Who Actually Has What It Takes To Acquire Giannis Antetokounmpo?
The Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets, San Antonio Spurs, and Atlanta Hawks are the teams that can blow Milwaukee away with offers.
The defending champions likely won’t mess with this year’s team, which is on pace to break the NBA record for wins in a regular season. However, if Sam Presti wanted to add Antetokounmpo, the Greek Freak would be in Oklahoma City yesterday. The Thunder have an outrageous stockpile of young talent, plus they have the NBA’s largest collection of incoming first-round picks.
The Rockets are another team that might not want to mess with what they have. They have looked like one of the best teams in the league to start this season, and they probably feel they have a roster that can win a title right now. But the option to add Antetokounmpo is there if general manager Rafael Stone wants to be bold — which fortune historically favors. Houston can probably acquire the nine-time All-Star and two-time MVP with a package built around Jabari Smith Jr., Reed Sheppard, Tari Eason, and first-round draft picks.
Things get interesting with the Spurs. San Antonio is a little ahead of schedule in building around Victor Wembanyama, as the team was able to acquire De’Aaron Fox at a very reasonable price last year. The Spurs are now near the top of the Western Conference standings, they have two blue-chip trade pieces in Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper, and they have the contacts needed to make a deal work. There’s a good chance the San Antonio front office still opts to pass on a move of this magnitude, opting to slow-play the early stages of Wembanyama’s career and see what this year’s team can do. But the Spurs have a real shot at adding a legitimate superstar while also hanging on to Wembanyama, Fox, and one of the two young guards. That makes San Antonio a major player now, and it doesn’t necessarily muddy up the future either.
The Spurs will just have to ask themselves a question that’s very difficult to answer: Does acquiring Antetokounmpo put them on par with the Thunder? But there’s no way of knowing unless the team gives it a shot. And for what it’s worth, I would undoubtedly consider San Antonio a true threat to Oklahoma City with the Greek Freak in the mix. The Thunder would definitely have an edge in the continuity department, and that’s something that can’t be short-changed. But having a frontcourt of Antetokounmpo and Wembanyama would be a nightmare for other teams to try to score against. The Spurs would also have Fox and one of the two young guards in the backcourt, plus some decent players to fill out the rest of the rotation. Mitch Johnson has also been extremely impressive as an X’s-and-O’s tactician since taking over for Gregg Popovich.
The Hawks can also put together a good deal for Antetokounmpo. Thanks to a wild draft-night trade with the New Orleans Pelicans, Atlanta has one of the best draft assets in basketball. The Hawks have whatever ends up being the better of two first-round picks between the Pelicans and Bucks in a loaded 2026 NBA Draft. Horst might want to get his hands on that. There are some game-changing prospects in this class, including Darryn Peterson, AJ Dybantsa, and Cameron Boozer. If Milwaukee lands one of them, the team might not be staring down the barrel of a long, hopeless rebuild. Atlanta can also offer Zaccharie Risacher, the No.1 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. That would give the Bucks a good two-way contributor on the wing for years to come. Also, depending on what package Milwaukee prefers, the deal could even include Trae Young.
If the four teams listed above don’t offer up what’s needed, there could be some other teams with decent packages to offer. The Miami Heat are always lurking in superstar conversations, and Pat Riley could put Kel’el Ware on the table. There’s also the Orlando Magic, Toronto Raptors, Cleveland Cavaliers, Brooklyn Nets, and Detroit Pistons. The Magic probably won’t look to make another big trade after acquiring Desmond Bane in the offseason, but things would get really interesting if they made Paolo Banchero available. The Raptors could also scrape something together with Scottie Barnes, some of their younger players (Gradey Dick, Ja’Kobe Walter, Collin Murray-Boyles), and picks. The Cavaliers have been disappointing to start the year, meaning they could get impatient and see if the Bucks have any interest in Evan Mobley. The Nets just have a ton of draft picks, plus they offer Antetokounmpo the opportunity to live in New York. And the Pistons are a team to keep an eye on. I have talked about them being a good Lauri Markkanen destination, but what if they were willing to move Ausar Thompson to get their hands on Antetokounmpo? That could be enough to get Milwaukee thinking.
What’s The Best Fit For Giannis Antetokounmpo?
I’m one of the few people out there that believes Antetokounmpo should stay in Milwaukee. Ryan Rollins has emerged as a very good starting point guard, capable of attacking the cup, knocking down triples, and setting teammates up, and he’s also a big-time playmaker on the defensive end of the floor. The Bucks also have some nice, affordable role players in AJ Green and Kevin Porter Jr., and they already added a good two-way starter at center in Myles Turner. Milwaukee just needs to find a way to add a dangerous No. 2 to take some pressure off Antetokounmpo, but there’s a pathway to the Bucks doing that. They’ll have another pick to trade this summer, giving them something valuable to attach to one of their bloated contracts. That should give them a decent package to go out and add an All-Star — or a borderline one. From there, you’re looking at a team that can easily compete in the East, and Antetokounmpo doesn’t have to leave the franchise he won a title with — and the one that developed him.
Obviously, Antetokounmpo might not see it that way — and probably doesn’t. So, when analyzing what the best fit for him might be, I’d actually say Atlanta is my favorite. I also think that’s the team to bet when looking at the Next Team Odds.
All things equal, adding Antetokounmpo to the Spurs probably makes the best basketball team — and most exciting product. However, Antetokounmpo should want to stay in the Eastern Conference, where there’s a much clearer path to the NBA Finals. And from there, anything can happen. While Oklahoma City looks like a juggernaut, let’s not forget that the Thunder were on the ropes twice in last year’s postseason. They needed to win Game 7s against both the Denver Nuggets and Indiana Pacers, and it took an Achilles injury to Tyrese Haliburton to stick a knife in the latter.
I will, however, note that I would rather the Hawks keep Young in a deal for the Greek Freak. Moving Kristaps Porzingis, Risacher, Asa Newell, and whatever picks the Bucks want would be interesting. That would leave Quin Snyder with a starting five of Young, Dyson Daniels, Jalen Johnson, Antetokounmpo, and Onyeka Okongwu. Atlanta would also have Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Vit Krejci, Luke Kennard, and Mouhamed Gueye off the bench. That’s a team that can go to war with anyone in the East.
