NBA Insider Says Giannis Won't Be Traded by Bucks 'Unless He Pushes It' Amid Rumors
The Milwaukee Bucks are reportedly not planning to trade superstar forward Giannis Antetokounmpo this offseason unless he requests it.
Per NBA insider Marc Stein on the ALL NBA Podcast (h/t RealGM), it is not expected that the Bucks will choose to trade Giannis without a push from him and his camp due to his importance to the organization:
"I don't think Giannis himself does not want to go to the Bucks and say, 'Trade me.' But next year there's no way with Damian Lillard carrying a salary of nearly 60 million they don't have control of their own first round pick till 2031, they don't have a pathway to build a contender around him at this point. But the rumbles that you always hear are that just having Giannis is so important to them financially. They're not going to trade him unless he pushes it."
The 30-year-old veteran is coming off another dominant season, as he averaged 30.4 points, 11.9 rebounds, 6.5 assists and 1.2 blocks per game, while earning a ninth consecutive All-Star selection.
Despite his play, the Bucks only managed to secure a somewhat disappointing fifth seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.
Lillard missed the first game of the Bucks' first-round playoff series against the Indiana Pacers and then suffered a season-ending torn Achilles in Game 3, leading Indiana to win the series 4-1.
With Lillard potentially set to miss most or all of the 2025-26 season, and Brook Lopez and Bobby Portis potentially both in line to hit free agency, it is tough to envision a path toward the Bucks contending for a championship next season.
The NBA is undoubtedly aware of that, and Stein noted that teams are waiting to see if that fact compels the Bucks to trade Giannis, saying:
"The whole league is on edge waiting to see will Giannis' representatives go to the Bucks and say, 'It's time. Move us, hold the auction, and start over.' I don't think the Bucks want to do that. You could make the case that they should want to do that, that they should say, 'Let's go out and get the largest haul we can get back for Giannis,' but I don't think the Bucks are there. We're going to see where Giannis is."
Antetokounmpo was originally selected 15th overall by the Bucks in the 2013 NBA draft, and he went on to become one of the all-time greats and a future Hall of Famer.
Giannis is a two-time NBA MVP and he won the NBA Finals MVP in 2021 when he led the Bucks to their first championship since 1971.
Trading a player who is that deeply ingrained in the franchise is never an easy decision, but given the type of trade package he would likely bring back for the Bucks, it is a move that should at last be heavily considered.
