Milwaukee Bucks fans have spent much of the last year with a sense of dread. Murmurs about superstar forward Giannis Antetokounmpo heading out of town have only grown louder over time, and it seemed almost like a foregone conclusion that he’d leave this summer.
Antetokounmpo still hasn’t closed the door on staying with the Bucks, though. During an interview with School of Hard Knocks’ James Dumoulin, the 31-year-old expressed a desire to stay in Milwaukee for many more years.
“I was born and raised in Athens,” Antetokounmpo said. “I was there until 18. My parents came from Nigeria in 1991. They had my older brother, Thanasis. I wish he was here because he’s so business savvy, too. 2013, I got drafted. I came here in Milwaukee. I’ve been here for 13 years with the team and hopefully many more.”
The Bucks selected Antetokounmpo with the 15th pick in the 2013 NBA Draft. At the time, he was seen as a very raw prospect who had the potential to become special, but no one could have imagined just how good he’d turn out to be.
Antetokounmpo has won a title, a Finals MVP, two MVPs, and one DPOY. He has also made 10 All-Star, nine All-NBA, and five All-Defensive teams.
Antetokounmpo has been widely regarded as one of the five best players in the NBA throughout the 2020s, but hasn’t had a lot of team success in recent years. The Bucks last won a playoff series back in 2022. They were eliminated in the first round in 2023, 2024, and 2025, and failed to even make the playoffs in 2026 after going 32-50.
Players of Antetokounmpo’s caliber tend to want to be on teams that have a realistic shot at winning a title, and he is no different. The Bucks aren’t close to being contenders, but he hasn’t come out and said he wants out, and has made it clear he never will.
Antetokounmpo has expressed a desire to remain with the Bucks for the rest of his career as well, but he also wants to win another title. This is just a difficult situation, but it should be resolved soon enough.
Bucks co-owner Wes Edens declared that if Antetokounmpo doesn’t sign an extension this summer, he’ll be traded. He can become a free agent in 2027 by opting out of his $62.8 million player option for 2027-28, and the team isn’t going to risk losing the superstar for nothing.
Antetokounmpo will be eligible to sign a four-year, $275 million extension on Oct. 1. If he indicates he isn’t going to put pen to paper, he will likely be shipped out of town before the 2026-27 season commences. With the Bucks said to be open to trade offers, you’d imagine they believe he won’t sign.
Now, Antetokounmpo’s trade market is reportedly lukewarm due to injury concerns. He put up impressive averages of 27.6 points, 9.8 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 0.9 steals, and 0.7 blocks per game in 2025-26, but only played 36 games.
There is a bit of risk here, but you don’t pass up a chance to bring in someone this good. Antetokounmpo is more than capable of leading a team to the Promised Land, and there aren’t too many players you can say that about.
