Giannis Updated Trade Landing Spots After Reported 'Unofficial End' to Warriors Pursuit

Hours away from the NBA trade deadline on Thursday, the likelihood of Giannis Antetokounmpo being moved by the Milwaukee Bucks decreased with the Golden State Warriors seemingly out of the race.

Per ESPN's Anthony Slater and Shams Charania, the Warriors' deal to acquire Kristaps Porziņģis' expiring contract from the Atlanta Hawks for Jonathan Kuminga and Buddy Hield is considered the "unofficial end" of their pursuit of the two-time NBA MVP.

With the Warriors presumably out of the equation, the remaining suitors for Antetokounmpo that have been reported in recent weeks include the Minnesota Timberwolves, Miami Heat and New York Knicks.

This article will be updated soon to provide more information and analysis.

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Minnesota Timberwolves

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Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints reported on Tuesday that Antetokounmpo has the Timberwolves atop his list of preferred landing spots.

Siegel also noted the T-Wolves have had "constant communication" with Milwaukee and were trying to gather as many assets as possible to build an enticing package.

The Timberwolves did something interesting that would seem to hurt their potential to build an offer. They agreed to a three-team trade with the Detroit Pistons and Chicago Bulls that sent out Mike Conley Jr. and a 2026 first-round pick swap to the Detroit Pistons.

Minnesota did save money against the tax by getting out of Conley's contract, but the pick swap with Detroit makes the T-Wolves' upcoming first-round selection worse.

Based on the current 2026 draft order, the Timberwolves' pick is six spots higher than Detroit's.

Minnesota's ability to build a deal for the Bucks around draft picks was always going to be an obstacle. The only first-rounder over the next four years that the Timberwolves control is in 2028.

Given how intrigued Antetokounmpo reportedly is about playing alongside Anthony Edwards, the Timberwolves have to be included here. But their path to building a strong offer is very narrow.

Miami Heat

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With the Warriors seemingly off the table, the team that could build the best package of picks and young players prior to the trade deadline for the Bucks is Miami.

Per Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, the Heat are prepared to include Kel'el Ware, Tyler Herro, first-round picks in 2030 and 2032, up to three first-round swaps in 2026, 2029 and 2031, plus Terry Rozier's expiring contract and at least one other young player.

None of the players in that potential offer have superstar upside, but Ware and Herro are solid starters for a Bucks team that doesn't have a lot of depth right now.

Pushing out those first-round picks to 2030 and '32 would convey when Antetokounmpo is in his mid-30s, giving them tremendous value to a Bucks team that needs as much high-end draft capital as it can get.

If the Bucks feel pressured to get a deal done before the trade deadline, the Heat's package would be hard for anyone to top.

New York Knicks

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The Knicks, like Minnesota, feel like they have to be included more because of Antetokounmpo's desire to play for them than any realistic scenario where they could build a strong enough offer to land him.

Charania reported last offseason that the Knicks were the only team other than Milwaukee that Antetokounmpo was open to playing for when he explored external options over the summer.

The Bucks and Knicks wound up having conversations in August, but nothing ever came from those discussions in part because Milwaukee officials felt the offer was "not strong enough" to keep talking.

New York doesn't control its own first-round pick again until 2030, so this is yet another instance of a team not having the cache of draft capital to build up a deal.

One thing the Knicks do have that a team like Minnesota doesn't is high-ceiling talent that could be used in a deal. OG Anunoby is very well-regarded around the NBA if the Knicks wanted to include him in an offer for a potential star.

If you're the Knicks, though, why would you trade Anunoby when the team you currently have has the second-best record in the Eastern Conference and the fourth-best net rating in the league?

These are the kinds of difficult questions that have to be answered. There is not a lot of time left to figure out an answer before the trade deadline at 3 p.m. ET on Thursday.