Giannis Antetokounmpo, Giannis trade, Milwaukee Bucks
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Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks reacts after their 112-110 win over the Atlanta Hawks at State Farm Arena on January 19, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia.
Two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo reportedly prefers a move to one of the New York Knicks, the Minnesota Timberwolves or the Miami Heat when the Milwaukee Bucks inevitably trade him either by the Feb. 5 trade deadline or during the offseason.
Antetokounmpo’s list of preferred destinations was revealed by TrueHoop’s Henry Abbott during his appearance on the “New York Post Sports” podcast.
“One person told me that Giannis’ preferred list is three teams: the Heat, the Wolves, and the Knicks,” Abbot said.
“Now, another person told me that it is not his list, but would not tell me what his list is. So take it all with a grain of salt,” he continued.
“From everything I’ve heard, Giannis would like to play for the Knicks, but I can’t figure out how they could possibly offer the package that the Bucks would like the most.”
Potential Giannis Trade Packages
Further to Abbot’s point, the Knicks have limited draft assets to put together in a potential Giannis trade and may have to include a third team interested in either Karl-Anthony Towns and/or Mikal Bridges to direct re-draft capital to Milwaukee.
According to Abbot, the Bucks prefer young players and draft assets so they can hit the reset button and start the post-Giannis era. As such, he has serious doubts about how the Knicks could pull off a Giannis trade given how their assets are assembled.
ESPN’s Bobby Marks raised similar points in his article listing the teams with the most to offer for Giannis, giving the Knicks an 8/10 on the deal difficulty scale. Furthermore, since the Knicks are hard-capped at the second apron, they are not allowed to take on more salary than they send out, making a Giannis trade all the more complicated.
Giannis Trade List Could Change
For what it’s worth, Marks also wasn’t very optimistic about the Timberwolves and Heat, the other two teams on the reported list, to make a compelling offer.
“Minnesota has no first-round picks available and is walking a financial tightrope,” Marks wrote. “Landing Antetokounmpo could require some deadline maneuvering from president Tim Connelly.”
As for the Heat, Marks believes the Florida-based franchise has a cleaner path to a Giannis trade, as they have two tradeable first-round picks to offer in a potential deal, along with intriguing young players like Kel’el Ware and Jaime Jaquez Jr. However, he still reckons that teams such as the Detroit Pistons, San Antonio Spurs, Atlanta Hawks and Houston Rockets have more to offer for the 2021 NBA Finals MVP.
It’s worth noting that many of the aforementioned teams, especially the Heat, will have more draft assets at their disposal during the offseason. So, unless the Bucks pull the trigger on a Giannis trade by the NBA trade deadline, all bets are off.
Insider Jake Fischer recently noted that the Bucks may hold off on a move until after the Draft Lottery, so they can give suitors the resources to put together better packages.
“Waiting until after the NBA’s lottery drawing in May to truly launch into the process of parting with their Face of the Franchise via trade would at least enable the Bucks to know exactly what potential trade partners can offer in terms of 2026 draft capital.”