Giannis Antetokounmpo, giannis trade, knicks, warriors
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Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks reacts against the Atlanta Hawks during the fourth quarter at State Farm Arena on January 19, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia.
The Milwaukee Bucks remained engaged with various Giannis Antetokounmpo trade suitors over the weekend, amid interest from teams such as the Golden State Warriors, New York Knicks, Minnesota Timberwolves and Miami Heat.
According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Bucks received several counteroffers from the four known Giannis trade suitors during their negotiations.
“Over the weekend, the Bucks remained engaged with NBA teams that have made aggressive proposals,” Charania told “SportsCenter” on Sunday night. “My understanding is they’ve submitted counteroffers to those aggressive proposals as well.”
Charania added that the Knicks, Warriors, Heat and Timberwolves remain”the most aggressive” suitors, but the Bucks have not closed the door on other teams who could make more compelling offers of blue-chip talents and draft assets.
Bucks’ Asking Price in Giannis Trade
“It all comes down to the price point for the Bucks,” added Charania, while noting that the Bucks are evaluating if it makes sense for them to trade their longtime franchise star by Thursday’s NBA trade deadline or during the offseason. The latter move would bode well for teams that will be armed with more draft assets during the summer, while it may hurt the chances of the Warriors, whose offer won’t improve come June and July.
“Every team that’s in the Giannis sweepstakes has to wait,” Charnaia said of the build-up to the NBA trade deadline. “If it goes to Wednesday or Thursday, they’re gonna wait for that point, but then there’s a tentacle of other teams that have deals potentially lined up with them.”
Further to Charania’s point, teams such as the Houston Rockets, San Antonio Spurs and even Oklahoma City Thunder could enter the Giannis trade sweepstakes depending on how they fare in the playoffs. All three franchises have the capability of making significantly better offers than the Warriors, Heat, Knicks or Timberwolves.
Warriors to Win Bidding War?
If a trade materializes by Thursday’s NBA trade deadline, the Warriors are viewed as the favorites, given their ability to trade four first-round picks, three pick swaps and match salaries for Antetokounmpo without the involvement of a third team. The Knicks and Timberwolves, meanwhile, will need the assistance of a third team to acquire draft capital or even younger players, neither of which they have in abundance.
The Athletic’s Sam Amick believes the time is now for the Warriors to go all in on a Giannis trade, as they’d likely get outbid when other suitors get involved.
“It sure feels like now or never for the Warriors, who can offer up to four first-round picks right now and a couple of promising young players (Kuminga and Podziemski) who could be part of the Bucks’ long-term future,” wrote the insider.
As for the Heat, their pursuit of a Giannis trade could boil down to how the Bucks view Kel’el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr. or even Tyler Herro as building blocks. The Heat can offer two first-rounders, but their true selling point is Ware, per multile insideers.
Antetokounmpo, a free agent in 2027, is expected to have a big say in where he gets traded. That’s because he will be eligible to ink a four-year, $275M extension with his new team in October if a trade materializes by Thursday. If a Giannis trade occurs over the summer, he won’t be eligible for an extension until next year, complicating matters.