Giannis Reportedly Questioned If Bucks Would 'Have the Balls' to Trade Him During Regular Season

Giannis Antetokounmpo reportedly questioned whether the Milwaukee Bucks would actually trade him, per comments he made in the locker room following the Bucks' 108-105 road win over the Phoenix Suns on March 21, according to Jim Owczarski of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

"Antetokounmpo derisively referenced aloud, without prompt, a comment by Bucks co-owner Wes Edens a day earlier, saying the franchise legend would either sign a contract extension or be traded. Antetokounmpo felt it cornered him.

"'Let's see if they have the balls to trade me,' he said, defiantly.

"He quickly looked down. 

"'They're gonna trade me,' he added, far more quietly."

Antetokounmpo was referencing remarks Edens made alongside and co-owner Jimmy Haslam in a 90-minute interview the two had with ESPN's Ramona Shelburne. That interview published the day before Antetokounmpo's locker room remarks.

"Giannis is going into the last year (of his contract)," Edens said. "So one of two things will happen: Either he will be extended or he'll be traded. The likelihood you'll let him just kind of play out the last year, we can't afford that. It's not consistent with what's good for the organization. That's not a Giannis issue. That's any player that's in their last year."

Antetokounmpo is in fact reportedly heading to the Miami Heat, per ESPN's Shams Charania.

As Charania noted, that trade package included the No. 13 overall pick in this year's draft, which ended up being Tennessee forward Nate Ament.

Although the trade winds surrounding Antetokkounmpo has been swirling for quite some time, it's still a stunning end in Milwaukee for a player who was a fixture there for 13 years.

In 2021, Antetokounmpo led the team to its first NBA title since 1971, scoring 50 points in the deciding Game 6 of the NBA Finals against the Suns. He's a 10-time All-Star, nine-time All-NBA player, a member of the NBA's 75th Anniversary Team and a surefire Hall of Famer someday.

For now, though, Antetokounmpo is going to Miami, where he hopes to compete for an NBA title alongside big man Bam Adebayo.