The Milwaukee Bucks might finally be changing their stance when it comes to a Giannis Antetokounmpo trade. Antetokounmpo’s future with the Bucks has been one of the biggest talking points in the NBA for months now, and according to insider Jake Fischer, the team looks to have come to a realization amid what has been a difficult season.
“All of that feeds into what sources describe as Milwaukee’s grudging realization over the course of this season that pathways to providing Antetokounmpo with the championship contention he craves just aren’t there. And that Antetokounmpo’s exit, painful as it would be, might finally be best for both sides.”
The Bucks dropped to 18-26 on the season after Friday’s 102-100 loss to the Denver Nuggets at Fiserv Forum. That was a Nuggets team without the likes of Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, and Peyton Watson, and they still couldn’t get a win.
To make matters worse, Antetokounmpo also suffered a calf injury late in the game, which he expects will keep him out for four to six weeks. This season is going nowhere for the Bucks, and they don’t appear to have a real pathway to improve this roster significantly either.
“Numerous rival teams were expecting Milwaukee to eventually abandon its posture as trade-deadline buyers even before Antetokounmpo was forced out of Friday’s loss to the Nuggets. Without him? The Bucks are 3-11 this season.
“And league sources say that the Bucks, frankly, were already struggling to generate difference-making trade discussions by making the likes of Kyle Kuzma and Bobby Portis Jr. available. Brooklyn’s Porter, Sacramento’s Zach LaVine, Cleveland’s De’Andre Hunter, Portland’s Jerami Grant, and Charlotte’s Miles Bridges have all been mentioned as potential targets, but the Bucks’ lack of available draft capital to sweeten trade offers has clearly complicated the search for reinforcements.”
The Bucks gave up some of that draft capital to acquire Damian Lillard from the Portland Trail Blazers in 2023. They believed pairing Antetokounmpo with Lillard would see them return to the top, but that didn’t happen.
Lillard never quite fit well with Antetokounmpo, and then tore his Achilles tendon in the playoffs last season. It was a crushing blow. The Bucks waived Lillard this past offseason to sign Myles Turner in a desperate move, and it hasn’t quite worked.
The Bucks do deserve blame for the situation they currently find themselves in, but you wonder how different things would be today if the Lillard move had panned out. As for how bad it is now, it’s really bad.
NBA insider Shams Charania reported that Antetokounmpo’s frustrations and tensions in the Bucks locker room are at an all-time high. Parting ways would be what’s best for everyone, and Fischer states there is a belief around the league that the nine-time All-Star could be moved before the Feb. 5 trade deadline.
“Numerous NBA front offices began operating under the belief in recent days — arguably with greater conviction than ever before — that a Giannis Antetokounmpo trade before the league’s Feb. 5 trade deadline at 3 PM ET had become unexpectedly possible.”
If the Bucks do indicate they are willing to trade Antetokounmpo, you better believe there will be a long line of suitors. The 31-year-old is one of the best players in the NBA and is averaging 28.0 points, 10.0 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 0.9 steals, and 0.7 blocks per game in 2025-26.
The fact that Antetokounmpo has played 30 of 44 games so far this season and is set to be out for weeks is a concern, but you don’t pass up on the opportunity to bring in a player of his caliber.
