Monday’s Dan Patrick Show opened with a look back at a tumultuous 2024-25 campaign for the Milwaukee Bucks.
The team finished the regular season with a 48-34 record, good for fifth seed in the Eastern Conference, before bowing out in the first round of the playoffs to the Indiana Pacers by a 4-1 margin.
During the Bucks' playoff games, Giannis Antetokounmpo's stats read 33.0 points, 15.4 rebounds, and 6.6 assists per game, underscoring both his superstar impact and the lack of sufficient support around him.
Damian Lillard suffered a torn Achilles late in the season and is expected to miss the entire 2025-26 campaign.
While the Bucks' aging core of Brook Lopez and Bobby Portis provided stability, they did not change the team’s fortunes in the playoffs.
Amid the swirl of NBA trade rumors, Dan Patrick relayed that Antetokounmpo "reportedly had a polite way of saying ‘trade me, or I’d be open to a trade,’" and asked whether the market had officially begun.
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst responded that until Giannis provides clarity on his intentions, "you won’t see a significant big move with a star player," and he emphasized that "I don’t think that Giannis has 100% said that ‘I’m out of Milwaukee’ yet."
Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) during the game against the Atlanta Hawks at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images
Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34).
Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images
The Bucks enter the summer with a mix of cap space, projected to be $28.16 million below the luxury-tax apron.
The Antetokounmpo contract will be an estimated $54.13 million cap hit, per Spotrac.
Giannis' stats and resume speak for themselves.
The nine-time All-Star and two-time league MVP (2019, 2020) also earned Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2020, joining Michael Jordan and Hakeem Olajuwon as the only players to claim both in the same season.
In 2021, he led the Bucks to their first NBA championship since 1971 and was named Finals MVP.
As NBA trade rumors continue to build, league insiders believe that teams are positioning themselves should Antetokounmpo decide to push for a move.