The Bucks are no longer in a normal holding pattern with Giannis Antetokounmpo. ESPN reported that the franchise is open to exploring trade offers before the 2026 NBA Draft, with Bucks ownership wanting clarity before June 23-24. The reported asking point is also obvious: established young talent, a major draft-pick package, or both.
Antetokounmpo is still an elite player, even after an injury-hit season. He averaged 27.6 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 5.4 assists while shooting 62.4% from the field, but he played only 36 games. His contract is also massive. He is set to earn $58.46 million in 2026-27 and has a player option for 2027-28.
That is why this cannot be a normal star trade. The Bucks finished 32-50 and 11th in the East, so if they move him, they need either a new face of the franchise or a package strong enough to start a rebuild.
5. The Raptors Build Around Antetokounmpo And Ingram
Toronto Raptors Receive: Giannis Antetokounmpo
Milwaukee Bucks Receive: Scottie Barnes, Jakob Poeltl, Gradey Dick, 2028 first-round pick, 2030 first-round pick, 2032 first-round pick swap
This is the Raptors’ all-in trade. It only works if they are willing to move Scottie Barnes, because the Bucks would not take a lighter offer built around secondary salary and distant picks. Barnes is the reason this framework becomes serious. He is 24, under long-term control, and already signed to a five-year, $224.2 million designated rookie extension. His 2025-26 salary was $38.7 million, and his average salary on the deal is $44.8 million.
Barnes averaged 18.1 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 5.9 assists in 80 games this season while shooting 50.7% from the field. The three-point number, 30.4%, is still the concern, but the full profile is valuable for a rebuilding team. He can defend multiple spots, pass from the frontcourt, play through contact, and become the main piece of the next Bucks era.
Jakob Poeltl gives the Bucks a starting center contract to stabilize the roster, while Gradey Dick gives them shooting and age. Poeltl is at $19.5 million in 2026-27, and Dick is at $7.1 million, so the salary structure gets close enough to make the concept workable around Antetokounmpo’s $58.46 million number.
For the Raptors, this is about skipping a slow build. They finished 46-36 and fifth in the East, which means they were already a playoff team, but not yet a title-level team. Antetokounmpo next to Brandon Ingram, Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett, and remaining depth gives them a serious top-end option. Ingram averaged 21.5 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 3.7 assists while shooting 47.7% from the field and 38.2% from three, so he would be the natural half-court scorer next to Antetokounmpo’s rim pressure.
The Bucks would not love giving Antetokounmpo to an East team, but Barnes changes the conversation. If the Bucks decide to reset, this is the type of offer that gives them a new franchise piece instead of only a pile of picks.
4. The Knicks Use Their Remaining Assets In A Massive Deal
New York Knicks Receive: Giannis Antetokounmpo
Milwaukee Bucks Receive: OG Anunoby, Mitchell Robinson, Josh Hart, 2026 first-round pick rights, 2030 first-round pick swap, 2032 first-round pick swap, 2033 first-round pick
The Knicks are the most complicated team here because their draft capital is already damaged from the Mikal Bridges trade. They sent out unprotected first-round picks in 2025, 2027, 2029, and 2031, plus a 2028 pick swap. That is why the pick part has to be built around draft-night rights, future swaps, and the 2033 first-round pick. After the 2026 draft, they can also use 2030 and 2032 swap rights, plus a 2033 first-round pick.
The player package is still strong. OG Anunoby is a high-level two-way forward, Mitchell Robinson is a rim protector and offensive rebounder, and Josh Hart is a playoff rotation piece with rebounding, passing, and toughness. This is not a young-star package, but it gives the Bucks three useful players who can either stay or be moved again.
Anunoby averaged 16.7 points and 5.2 rebounds during the regular season and raised his playoff production to 21.4 points and 7.5 rebounds before suffering a right hamstring strain. Robinson averaged 5.7 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks in 19.6 minutes, while Hart averaged 12.0 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 4.8 assists while shooting 50.8% from the field and 41.3% from three.
For the Knicks, this is the final version of the win-now build. They finished 53-29, third in the East, and already reached the Eastern Conference Finals. Adding Antetokounmpo to Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns would make them a title favorite, but it would also gut their wing depth and leave them with a difficult spacing puzzle.
The Bucks would ask for Mikal Bridges or Towns first. If the Knicks refuse that, this is the next serious version. Anunoby, Robinson, Hart, and the last available premium draft pieces is heavy. It is not the best offer on the board, but it is the best Knicks-style offer that does not destroy their entire star core.
3. The Heat Move Bam Adebayo Because The Fit Is Too Tight
Miami Heat Receive: Giannis Antetokounmpo
Milwaukee Bucks Receive: Bam Adebayo, Nikola Jovic, 2028 first-round pick, 2030 first-round pick, 2032 first-round pick swap
Bam Adebayo has to be in the Heat offer. That is the part they cannot avoid. The idea of keeping Adebayo next to Antetokounmpo sounds strong defensively, but the offensive fit is too limited. Neither player is a high-volume shooter. Both do most of their damage inside the arc. Both need space around them. If the Heat trade for Antetokounmpo, they need him at power forward with a more traditional center who screens, rebounds, protects the rim, and does not need touches. Keeping Adebayo would create too many crowded possessions.
Adebayo is still a major trade piece. He averaged 20.1 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 3.2 assists this season. The field-goal percentage dropped to 44.2%, which is low for his role, but he remains one of the league’s better defensive bigs and is entering his prime years. His next number is also heavy: Spotrac lists him at $49.5 million in 2026-27, with a three-year, $160.4 million extension beginning.
Nikola Jovic gives the Bucks a younger forward with size and shooting development. He signed a four-year, $62.4 million extension, and that type of contract can be useful for a team trying to reset without falling into complete salary emptiness.
The Heat finished 43-39, 10th in the East, and missed the playoffs after the play-in. That is exactly why this type of move would be discussed. This roster is expensive, competitive, and still short of the top tier. Antetokounmpo would give them the top-five level force they have lacked since the Jimmy Butler peak.
For the Bucks, Adebayo is not a perfect rebuild centerpiece because he is already expensive. Still, he gives them an All-Star-level defender, a center to pair with their next phase, and real value they can keep or flip later. Add Jovic and two first-round-level assets, and this becomes a serious offer.
2. The Warriors Push The Steph Curry Timeline To Its Final Limit
Golden State Warriors Receive: Giannis Antetokounmpo
Milwaukee Bucks Receive: Draymond Green, Moses Moody, Brandin Podziemski, Gary Payton II, 2026 No. 11 pick, 2028 first-round pick, 2030 first-round pick
This is probably the most realistic Warriors framework because it combines urgency, salary, young pieces, and picks. The Warriors finished 37-45, 10th in the West, and landed the No. 11 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. That gives them a lottery asset to put into a major offer, and it gives the Bucks something immediate instead of only distant picks.
Draymond Green is the salary piece and the veteran bridge. He averaged 8.4 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 5.5 assists this season, while shooting 41.8% from the field and 32.6% from three. His contract is useful for matching, with Spotrac listing him at $25.9 million in 2025-26 and a $27.7 million player option for 2026-27.
The Bucks would not do this for Green alone. Moses Moody and Brandin Podziemski are the actual basketball value. Moody averaged 12.1 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.6 assists while shooting 40.1% from three. Podziemski played all 82 games and posted career highs in scoring at 13.9 points, assists at 3.7, and field-goal percentage at 45.7%.
The Warriors would be taking a major spacing risk. Antetokounmpo, Jimmy Butler, and Green cannot all share the floor in a normal playoff offense, so Green would almost have to be outgoing. With Stephen Curry and Antetokounmpo, the idea is simple: one of the greatest shooters ever next to one of the greatest rim attackers ever. That is worth the risk if Curry still wants one last real title run.
For the Bucks, this is not the best pure player package. It is a volume package: young rotation players, a lottery pick, two future first-round picks, and contracts they can manage or reroute. If no team offers a Barnes or Brown-level player, the Warriors can get close by overwhelming the table.
1. The Celtics Could Offer The Strongest Star Package
Boston Celtics Receive: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kyle Kuzma
Milwaukee Bucks Receive: Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, 2026 No. 27 pick, 2030 first-round pick, 2032 first-round pick
This is the offer the Bucks would have the hardest time refusing. Jaylen Brown is the best single player in these frameworks outside of Antetokounmpo. Derrick White is an elite two-way guard. The picks are not as strong as a rebuilding team would want, but the player value is massive.
There is one important salary note. Brown and White combine for $81.2 million in 2025-26 salary, with Brown at $53.1 million and White at $28.1 million. Antetokounmpo is at $58.46 million in 2026-27, so the concept likely needs another Bucks contract, which is why Kyle Kuzma is included as the balancing salary. Brown averaged 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 5.1 assists this season while shooting 47.7% from the field. White averaged 16.5 points, 4.4 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 1.1 steals, and 1.3 blocks, though his shooting dipped to 39.4% from the field and 32.7% from three.
The Celtics finished 56-26, second in the East, but their playoff exit makes this a real conversation. They already have Jayson Tatum. Pairing him with Antetokounmpo would give them the most physically dominant forward duo in the league. It would also change their identity. They would lose Brown’s shot creation and White’s guard defense, but they would gain a player who bends the paint every possession.
The Bucks would get a new No. 1 scorer in Brown, a defensive guard in White, and enough picks to avoid calling it a pure win-now return. That is why this is No. 1. If the Bucks truly want established talent and not just draft capital, the Celtics can offer the most serious version. Brown and White is expensive, but it is not filler. It is a direct bridge from the Antetokounmpo era to another competitive roster.
