Windhorst Says There's Expectation Giannis' Days With Bucks Are 'Numbered' Amid Rumors

The New York Knicks' reported attempt to acquire Giannis Antetokounmpo this offseason came amid a leaguewide expectation that the Milwaukee Bucks star will be traded in the near future, ESPN's Brian Windhorst said Tuesday on ESPN Today.

"There has been an expectation for quite some time that Giannis' days in Milwaukee, one way or another, are numbered," Windhorst said. "Whether that was going to happen this year, whether it's going to happen potentially during this season, or whether it could happen next summer."

ESPN's Shams Charania reported earlier Tuesday the Knicks and Bucks discussed a potential Antetokounmpo trade for multiple weeks in August, but that New York "did not make a strong enough offer" to continue talks.

Antetokounmpo, after an in-person meeting with Bucks general manager Jon Horst in Greece in July, "wanted to explore whether there would be an alternative path forward for both the team and the player," Charania reported.

According to Charania, the Bucks internally discussed multiple trade candidates but found that Manhattan was "the only place Antetokounmpo wanted to play outside of Milwaukee."

"People in league circles, including some in New York, have believed since 2024 that Antetokounmpo would eventually want to come to the Knicks if he ever explored a trade," Charania wrote.

Now that the Knicks were reportedly unable to finalize a trade this summer, Charania said he expected Antetokounmpo and his representatives to "have a grip on this league, to an extent."

"There are teams that are going to continue to monitor it, and they're going to make sure they don't exhaust themselves in other ways if this seismic trade possibility is still available for them in January or February," Charania said.

Antetokounmpo is set to play the next two seasons with cap hits of around $54 million and $58 million, respectively, per Spotrac. He also holds a player option worth around $63 million for the 2027-28 campaign.

Any team interested in getting Antetokounmpo's approval on a trade would need to have the ability to give up trade assets and take on his cap hit while remaining a 2026 championship contender.

The Knicks, who are hard-capped at the second apron with limited draft capital, could potentially lose out on Antetokounmpo if he is willing to consider playing for a contender that can put together a more appealing package in the near future.