Trade rumors regarding Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo are heating up as we get ever closer to the Feb. 5 deadline. There is a real chance that Antetokounmpo will find a new home, but he made it clear during an interview with Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Jim Owczarski that in an ideal world, he’d prefer to stay.
“If you ask me what do I really want, deep down in my heart?” Antetokounpo said. “I want to be a Milwaukee Buck until I retire and win a championship here. End of sentence.
“If that is not possible to happen, and if then you realize maybe that’s not the case and maybe they’re looking elsewhere and that’s not what they’re trying to do, then automatically you have to be in the plans of what they’re trying to do or weigh the other options,” Antetokounmpo continued. “It’s normal.”
Antetokounmpo claims he doesn’t know what the Bucks’ plan is in the near and long term. The 31-year-old has made it clear over time that loyalty means a lot to him, but winning means more. It has become more and more evident over the course of this season that this team isn’t good enough to win a championship.
The Bucks just improved to 19-29 with a 131-115 win over the Chicago Bulls at Fiserv Forum on Tuesday. Antetokounmpo missed this game as he continues his recovery from a calf strain, and the team is now 4-14 without him. That shows how poor the supporting cast is.
No one would blame Antetokounmpo for asking out, but he continues to tiptoe around the subject. Former NBA player and current ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins believes the two-time MVP is scared to request a trade from the Bucks.
From a distance, it does seem as if Antetokounmpo doesn’t want to be seen as a “bad guy” who abandoned ship when the going got tough. In this interview, he once again declared his love for Milwaukee and scoffed at those who think he doesn’t love the city.
“I got married in Milwaukee, Wisconsin,” Antetokounmpo stated. “And also, legally, from the courthouse. And also, I’ve had my kids here. My father is buried here. So tell me you, when I open the passport of my kids and it says born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, my dad is buried here, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
“So people have the audacity to come tell me and say ‘this guy really doesn’t love Milwaukee,’” Antetokounmpo added. “I don’t love Milwaukee? Not the people that know. The people of the city know how much I love them. This city has let me be myself, let me be father, have let me [be] a husband, have let me be my own, true, self.”
Antetokounmpo had arrived in Milwaukee in 2013 as a scrawny 18-year-old. He has grown into a man there and repaid everyone for their love and support by dominating on the court.
Antetokounmpo helped end the Bucks’ 50-year title drought by leading them to the championship in 2021. They were on top of the basketball world at that time, but a mix of injuries and bad decisions has led to them failing to even come close to repeating that feat.
The only way Antetokounmpo, who is averaging 28.0 points, 10.0 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 0.9 steals, and 0.7 blocks per game in 2025-26, wins another championship is if he goes elsewhere. As you’d expect, there are plenty of suitors for the two-time MVP.
The Minnesota Timberwolves have emerged as a likely landing spot lately, and Antetokounmpo reportedly would be thrilled to team up with Anthony Edwards. Now that’s a duo that is capable of winning a title.
The Golden State Warriors are also in the mix, but Antetokounmpo might be a bit hesitant to go there. We’ll just have to wait a little longer to see how this situation pans out.
There is a chance, of course, that Antetokounmpo doesn’t get moved by the deadline, but the Bucks would only be delaying the inevitable. It’s hard to see a scenario where he’s still wearing their uniform at the start of next season.
