NBA Teams Reportedly Have 'Come to Terms' Giannis Won't Request Bucks Trade
Perhaps the biggest offseason domino in the NBA has fallen, with teams reportedly not expecting Giannis Antetokounmpo to leave the Milwaukee Bucks anytime soon.
Speaking on Get Up (starts at 11:30 mark), ESPN's Brian Windhorst explained opposing teams have "come to terms with the realization" that Antetokounmpo isn't going to ask for a trade and the Bucks aren't going to move the two-time MVP right now.
Windhorst did hedge slightly by saying he couldn't predict what might happen later in the offseason, but the feeling at this point is the 30-year-old will remain with the Bucks.
In a separate report from Windhorst and Tim Bontemps, Bucks head coach Doc Rivers and general manager Jon Horst have "presented" Antetokounmpo with plans that include keeping their current core intact for next season:
"In meetings with ownership since the end of the season, Bucks coach Doc Rivers and recently-extended general manager Jon Horst have presented plans to keep the core of the team intact around Antetokounmpo, with a goal of competing for a top-six playoff spot and with a hope Damian Lillard could return from his Achilles recovery before the end of next season. The Bucks went 10-4 without Lillard to close the regular season as he dealt with a blood clot. That, plus Antetokoumpo's larger role of keeping Milwaukee afloat, were the cornerstones of the team's projection."
This is notable because Brook Lopez, the Bucks' biggest unrestricted free agent, has recently been connected to the Los Angeles Lakers and Houston Rockets by NBA insider Jake Fischer.
Any hope the Bucks have of being a top-six seed in the East next season would likely involve Lopez being part of their team. They are also waiting to see if Bobby Portis Jr. and Pat Connaughton exercise their player options for next season.
There have been some hints recently that Antetokounmpo seemed likely to run it back in Milwaukee.
"The Finals are different, I hope to be back soon with the Bucks," he told Brazilian media outlet Coast to Coast this week.
Antetokounmpo's future in Milwaukee has been hovering over everything leading up to the start of the offseason. ESPN's Shams Charania reported on May 12 that he was open to exploring his best long-term fits outside of the Bucks.
That report came two weeks after the Bucks' first-round playoff loss to the Indiana Pacers. This was the third consecutive year they have lost in the opening round of the postseason.
Given the limited resources currently available to the Bucks that would allow them to make significant improvements this summer, the front office is reportedly hoping to sell Antetokounmpo on a "gap year" in 2025-26 to reshape their roster around him in future seasons.
The nine-time All-Star has said in the past he would like to spend his entire career with one organization, but he doesn't want to do it at the expense of potentially winning more championships.
It's hard to argue the Bucks are well-positioned to be a title contender next season with Antetokounmpo, but if their vision is enough to convince him they can get back to that level by the 2026-27 season, he might give them that leeway based on how loyal he has been to the organization thus far.
Antetokounmpo is coming off arguably the best season of his already-storied career. He averaged 30.4 points on 60.1 percent shooting, 11.9 rebounds and 6.5 assists per game in 67 starts.
