New Giannis Rumors Reveal 'Inevitability of a Likely' Trade and Bucks Rejected Offers from 12+ Teams
The Milwaukee Bucks held off on moving superstar forward Giannis Antetokounmpo at the trade deadline this season, but a trade reportedly may be unavoidable this offseason.
According to ESPN's Shams Charania, people at "the highest levels" of the Bucks organization have "come to terms with the inevitability of a likely deal coming to fruition this offseason."
A source close to the Bucks added, "This is as toxic of a team situation as any in the league. They waited until the very end on Giannis, and now everyone knows."
Per Charania, the Minnesota Timberwolves, Miami Heat and Golden State Warriors were "among the leading suitors" for Giannis at the deadline, as "more than a dozen teams reached out to the Bucks."
The Cleveland Cavaliers and Philadelphia 76ers were among them, but they reportedly believed the Bucks' asking price was too high, as Milwaukee wanted center Evan Mobley and more from Cleveland, and rookie guard VJ Edgecombe and more from Philly.
Charania noted that while executives from the T-Wolves, Heat and Warriors felt Bucks general manager Jon Horst was "genuine" in his efforts to trade Giannis, representatives from other teams felt differently.
Some execs told Charania that Horst "took days" to respond to calls and messages, leaving them to assume that Milwaukee "was not ready to pull off a franchise-altering move."
Although Giannis was the subject of trade rumors prior to the 2025-26 season, nothing came of them, and the Bucks made the decision to continue building around Antetokounmpo in hopes of being contenders in the wide-open Eastern Conference.
In addition to retaining key players such as Kevin Porter Jr., Bobby Portis and Gary Trent Jr., the Bucks made a sizable splash in free agency, signing longtime Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner.
Despite that, Giannis reportedly "expressed serious doubts and concerns" about the Bucks' roster entering the season, but Milwaukee still decided to move forward.
However, as the trade deadline approached and the Bucks struggled to remain on the fringes of the playoff race, Giannis reportedly told the organization privately that he thought it was best for him to move on.
Giannis and his representation reportedly even met with Bucks owners Jimmy Haslam and Wes Edens two weeks before the deadline, urging them to "do right" by Antetokounmpo.
A source close to the situation told Charania, "Giannis has wanted to handle this professionally by being very up front with the team. This could have been a happy resolution but instead might end up being a nasty breakup."
The 31-year-old Antetokounmpo was limited to a career-low 36 games this season due to various injuries, which contributed to the Bucks' struggles.
He remained an elite producer when he played, though, averaging 27.6 points, 9.8 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game, while shooting a career-best 62.4 percent from the field.
A 10-time All-Star, nine-time All-NBA selection, two-time NBA MVP, one-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year, one-time NBA champion and one-time NBA Finals MVP, Giannis is a surefire, first-ballot Hall of Famer.
He is also still a potential franchise-altering player, meaning the Bucks should be able to get a haul of players and draft picks for him that can set them up for success years into the future.
The Bucks have continually delayed trading away the face of the franchise, but based on the disappointment of the 2025-26 season, things figure to finally come to a head in Milwaukee this summer.
