Bucks' Doc Rivers Downplays Giannis Trade Rumors, 'We Are Communicating A Lot'

Milwaukee Bucks head coach Doc Rivers downplayed any trade rumors surrounding superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, noting how much communication the two have had this offseason with an eye toward next year.

"Giannis came to me the day after the season and we were talking about next season already," Rivers told reporters Friday in Las Vegas at center Myles Turner's introductory press conference, per ESPN's Michael C. Wright.

"So, there's far more talk outside of Milwaukee than there is inside of Milwaukee. Giannis loves Milwaukee. We love Giannis, and it's been a great relationship. We've had some of our young guys in Greece already playing with him. I think we had six or seven guys go down [to Greece], several coaches. So, we are communicating a lot. It's about next year, and it's about winning."

ESPN's Shams Charania reported on May 12 that Antetokounmpo was "open-minded" about playing elsewhere.

"The two-time NBA MVP has not made any firm decisions on his Bucks future after the franchise's third consecutive postseason exit in the first round, but, for the first time in his career, Antetokounmpo is open-minded about exploring whether his best long-term fit is remaining in Milwaukee or playing elsewhere, league sources told ESPN."

However, it seems those trade rumors have died down a bit. Of note, Antetokounmpo said he thinks he'll stay with the Bucks next season when asked if he thought he would stay with the team for 2025-26 during a live stream with IShowSpeed.

"Probably. Probably, we'll see. Probably, I love Milwaukee," Antetokounmpo said.

It would certainly behoove the Bucks to keep Antetokounmpo, who averaged 30.4 points, 11.9 rebounds, 6.5 assists and 1.2 blocks last season. He finished third in the MVP race last year and landed on the All-NBA First Team for the seventh straight season.

For now, it appears that'll be the case as the Bucks look to move past a string of three straight first-round playoff exits.