According to Bobby Marks of ESPN, the Milwaukee Bucks will be aggressively exploring options in free agency and trades to complement superstar forward Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Antetokounmpo is not expected to request a trade from the Bucks this offseason, even though point guard Damian Lillard could miss the entire 2025-26 campaign recovering from his left Achilles tear.
“It would be easy for the Bucks to put Antetokounmpo on the trade market, especially in light of Lillard’s Achilles injury and consecutive losses in the first round,” Marks wrote. “However, sources confirmed to ESPN that Milwaukee will be aggressively exploring options in free agency and trades to complement Antetokounmpo.”
Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo
This NBA trade gives Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo three new teammates.
Brad Penner-Imagn Images
With Marks' reporting in mind, Chris Herring of ESPN proposed that the Bucks acquire two Orlando Magic players and one Chicago Bulls player this offseason.
Herring created a trade idea between the Bucks, Magic and Bulls that sends Wendell Carter Jr., Ayo Dosunmu and Jett Howard to Milwaukee, Pat Connaughton, Jalen Smith and Jevon Carter to Orlando and Kyle Kuzma and Andre Jackson Jr. to Chicago.
"With regards to the proposed deal above, this would obviously be quite a gamble to get out from under the Kuzma deal, given that it would essentially empty Milwaukee's draft cupboard," Herring wrote. "But it also answers some immediate questions for the Bucks in terms of who holds down Lillard's spot while he rehabs and who replaces the aging, free-agent Brook Lopez in the middle.
"Milwaukee's defense improves -- perhaps considerably -- with these moves, making the club younger and giving it more upside. Chicago, likely to hand ball handler Josh Giddey a big deal this summer, might be fine getting a return for Dosunmu as his deal gets closer to winding down. And Orlando parts ways with Carter (handing the reins to Goga Bitadze) but gets back some draft capital."
The Bucks won 48 games this season. They lost to the Indiana Pacers in the first round of the playoffs for the second straight year.
Antetokounmpo, 30, averaged 30.4 points, 11.9 rebounds, 6.5 assists, 0.9 steals and 1.2 blocks for the Bucks this season. He made the All-NBA First Team.
It will be fascinating to see if Milwaukee makes any big trades this offseason.