Giannis Antetokounmpo , Bucks
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Giannis Antetokounmpo has yet to request a trade out of the Milwaukee Bucks.
Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo has yet to request a trade following their meeting last week, NBA insider Marc Stein reported on his “The Stein Line” Substack newsletter on Monday.
There were no apparent breakthrough developments last week for the many factions around the league hoping for a firm indication about Giannis Antetokounmpo’s future in Milwaukee.
Antetokounmpo himself has been very active on Twitter in terms of answering fans’ questions over the past several days, but he has not formally pushed to be traded away from the only NBA team he has ever known in the wake of Milwaukee’s third successive first-round exit.
Not yet.
It remains unclear, furthermore, if he ultimately will or he won’t.
Antetokounmpo is the biggest domino waiting to fall in the NBA offseason.
Pivotal Meeting
NBA insider Chris Haynes reported on the pivotal meeting between Antetokounmpo and the Bucks.
“There’s a lot going on with the Bucks this offseason. Knowing Giannis personally, one of the toughest competitors we have in this league. A guy who has great ambition. He wants multiple championships. That’s all he wants to do. To be put in a position where he can play alongside a team that has a chance to fight for a title. This is going to be a very, very crucial meeting next week,” Haynes said.
It turns out Antetokounmpo remains undecided on what to do next with his career.
The Bucks have not made it past the first round in the past three seasons since they won the championship in 2021.
Damian Lillard‘s Achilles injury further complicates things in Milwaukee as the Bucks have only one first-round pick and limited financial flexibility to manuever a significant trade to get more help.
Giannis Antetokounmpo Urged to Make ‘Perfect Move’
DeMarcus Cousins, a former four-time All-Star center, weighed in on Antetokounmpo’s looming decision, believing his perfect move would be to take his talents to South Beach like LeBron James did in 2010, which resulted in two championships and four NBA Finals appearances.
“I would love to see Giannis in Miami,” Cousins said on “Run It Back” on FanDuel TV. “It’s an organization that’s proven. They know how to build around a superstar. It’d definitely put a better light on Pat Riley with how it went with Jimmy Butler to get another superstar like Giannis, so it makes sense.”
“I think that’s the perfect move. It would definitely help Miami, with them struggling to get a superstar after how the breakup went with Jimmy Butler. It makes sense. He’s already said he wants to play in a tax-free state.”
According to NBA writer Sam Amico of Hoops Wire, Antetokounmpo is intrigued by the idea of playing in NBA city where there is no state income tax.
The Heat are one of those four teams in the NBA that have no state income tax. The other three are the Orlando Magic and the two Texas teams — Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs.
While Cousins sees the Heat as the perfect destination for Antetokounmpo’s next chapter, there’s one caveat.
“I just don’t know if they have enough to acquire him like a Houston does, like a San Antonio does, even a Golden State. That would be the only issue there,” Cousins said.