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Is Giannis Antetokounmpo getting traded this offseason? The latest on trade rumors, potential teams, and a new injury update on his return.
The future of Giannis Antetokounmpo with the Milwaukee Bucks has been one of the leading storylines in the NBA across the entire 2025-26 season, with trade rumors surrounding his name set to re-ignite this offseason after the team chose not to move him at the trade deadline.
Antetokounmpo himself recommitted to the Bucks franchise, but as he still has an impending contract extension to sign, his future in Milwaukeeis still very muchup in the air.
While he didjust miss five weeks with a calf injury, the latest Antetokounmpo injury update signals he’ll return to play against the Boston Celtics on Monday night.
Shams Charania
Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo is expected to return tonight against the Boston Celtics after missing the last 5-plus weeks with a right calf strain, sources tell ESPN.
With him now back on the court, trade rumors, questions about his future, and links between Antetokounmpo and other teams across the NBA will only ramp up over the next few months and into the summer offseason.
Is Giannis Antetokounmpo Getting Traded? A Timeline Of Trade Rumors And What We Know About His Bucks Future
Antetokounmpo has had an incredibly successful first 13 seasons in the NBA with the Bucks. However, after a third-straight first-round playoff exit last year, things took a turn over the summer.
OnOctober 7th, Shams Charania of ESPN reported that ‘Antetokounmpo’s future with the Bucks is far from settled’, writing that the star expressed interest in a trade to the New York Knicks over the summer. The report didn’t lead to any trade, but it started a tidal wave of speculation about his future in Milwaukee.
Shams Charania
New York emerged as the only team Giannis Antetokounmpo desired outside of Milwaukee in the offseason, sources told ESPN, and the Knicks and Bucks engaged in talks for a window of time.
Inside the clouds leaving Giannis’ future hanging in the balance:
He then played the first part of the season with individual success, but in early December, Antetokounmpo suffered a calf strain, and Charania released another report about a potential trade from the Bucks.
“Giannis Antetokounmpo and his agent, Alex Saratsis, are having conversations with theMilwaukee Bucks about the two-time NBA MVP’s future — and discussing whether his best fit is staying or a move elsewhere,” the insider wrote.
With that, the trade rumors were in full swing, and while Antetokounmpo was out with an injury, hewas linked to teams like the Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers, Knicks, and many others.
In the lead-up to the trade deadline, Charania once again reported that Antetokounmpo ‘is ready for a new home ahead of theFeb. 5 trade deadline’ while naming the Warriors, Knicks, Miami Heat, and Minnesota Timberwolves as potential suitors for the two-time MVP.
Despite the massive Antetokounmpo trade rumors, the Bucks decided not to move him at the trade deadline, and the star expressed hiscontent with being in Milwaukee for the time being, and potentially longer, as long as he had a winning team around him.Antetokounmpo told Sam Amick of The Athletic that he would never ask for a trade from the Bucks, going against Charania’s months of reporting.
In the time since, Antetokounmpo has been alternating in his perspective about a trade, saying that ‘for the moment’ he is happy, but that can change at any point.
What is clear is this: if Antetokounmpo wants to stay with the Bucks for the long term, he can. He can sign a four-year, $275 million contract extension with Milwaukee onOctober 1st, 2026, as he has one year left on his current deal after this season.
All of this is to say that if Antetokounmpo is open to future elsewhere, Milwaukee should trade him this summer so they don’t lose him in free agency for nothing in 2027.There’s been no confirmation on whether he’ll sign the contract extension, and likely won’t be until Charania reports again about new trade rumors,or that he’s staying a Buck.
The trade rumors will undoubtedly go into the summer until a decision is made, with many teams ready to pounce and offer their best trade packages for the 2021 Finals MVP this offseason.
Which Teams Will Make A Giannis Trade? Where Does The Star Want To Go And Who Has The Best Offer?
As mentioned, the Warriors, Heat, Timberwolves, and Knicks, who were the longest connected to Antetokounmpo, were the four teams linked to a trade leading up to the deadline.
While all of those franchisesare once again expected to re-enter the trade sweepstakes this summer, a few others, like the Lakers, as well as the Toronto Raptors, Cleveland Cavaliers, Philadelphia 76ers, Detroit Pistons, Atlanta Hawks, Brooklyn Nets, Portland Trail Blazers, Houston Rockets, and San Antonio Spurs have allbeen linked to him at some point in trade rumors.
It’s fair to say that no team would ever rule out trading for Antetokounmpo based on his winning resume and skill set, but based on all the reporting, and for the sake of clarity, it is fair to say that Golden State, Miami, New York, Minnesota, and Los Angeles will all be the top players for him this offseason.
The Warriors could offer Jimmy Butler, young players, and allthe draft picksthey have for Antetokounmpo. They did everything they could at the trade deadline to get a deal done, but the Bucks weren’t interested.
The Timberwolves could do the same with Julius Randle and their other young players, but have minimal draft assets.
The same is truewithNew York, as along with Karl-Anthony Towns and either Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby, or Josh Hart and their young talent, they lack the draft capital Milwaukee is looking for.
Miami has more picks, but the upside of a player like Tyler Herro or Kel’el Ware pales in comparison to the assets other teams could offer.
Then there is the Lakers, whoare set to have huge cap space this summer, should LeBron James leave in free agency. Los Angeles has three first-rounders available and could make a sign-and-trade deal with the Bucks for Antetokounmpo, sending back a newly-extended Austin Reaves in return to pair the Greek star with Luka Doncic.
NBACentral
The Lakers reportedly believe they have a good shot at Giannis Antetokounmpo this offseason, per @mcten
“The Lakers, team sources told ESPN, obviously see the appeal in Antetokounmpo and believe they would be one of the teams on a very short list if the Bucks star asks for a
The Lakers have never been afraid to take risks in trades, and theyare expected to make an ‘all-out pursuit‘ for Antetokounmpo this summer, per Amick, withlikely just Doncicas the only untouchable asset in a trade.
Other teams like the Raptors, Nets, Hawks, and even Spurs could offer trade packages centered around young talent and picks, but according to Charania, at least as he said leading up to the trade deadline, Milwaukee “would want a young, blue-chip talent player, and/or a surplus of draft picks” in an Antetokounmpo trade.
Some teams have one of those two, some have both, and the Bucks will likelybe fielding offers from all 29 other teams before deciding oneither moving orkeeping the superstar.
What is clear is this: Antetokounmpo doesn’t want to be the bad guy in Milwaukee, but he wants to win. Currently, those are conflicting ideals, and until he makes up his mind, the trade rumors and uncertainty about his future will continue.
Everything involving an Antetokounmpo trade hinges on his thought process about signing a contract extension with the Bucks. Should he sign, he’ll stay. But if or whenever he decides he won’t sign the extension, the trade rumors will heat up once again, with the entire NBA lining up to offer their trade package for the future Hall of Fame forward.
The ball is in Antetokounmpo’s court, and while he returns from a calf injury on Monday that kept him sidelined for five weeks since late January, now that he’s back, the speculation on his future will only continue until he announces his plans.
In 30 games this season, Antetokounmpo is averaging 28 points, ten rebounds, and 5.6 assists on 64.5% shooting.
Across his 13 NBA seasons, he’s averaged 24 points, 9.9 rebounds, five assists, 1.1 steals, and 1.1 blocks on 55.4% shooting, with two MVP awards, a championship and Finals MVP award, ten All-Star selections, nine All-NBA selections, a Defensive Player of the Year award, named to the NBA 75 Team, and will be a first-ballot Hall of Fame inductee whenever his career comes to an end.