The Milwaukee Bucksexplored potential trades for Giannis Antetokounmpo during the trade deadline, with the Golden State Warriors, Minnesota Timberwolves, New York Knicks and Miami Heat mentioned as “serious suitors.”
However, Milwaukee ended up keeping the superstar forward, with ESPN reporting prior to the deadline that the team had “not given up complete hope of salvaging the Antetokounmpo era yet.”
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If the Bucks are unable to show Antetokounmpo that they can keep competing for the NBA championship, however, trade talks for the Greek Freak are expected to resurface when the offseason rolls around.
That being said, three-time NBA champion Danny Green believes there’s a surefire way for the Bucks to convince Antetokounmpo to stay with the team.
Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) reacts during a game.© Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images
(© Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images)
During an appearance on NBA Today, Green suggested that the Bucks monitor Kawhi Leonard‘s situation with the Los Angeles Clippers and consider trading for him should an opportunity arise. If not, he’s confident that another player of Leonard’s stature will show Antetokounmpo that Milwaukee is serious about winning.
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“They don’t want to trade him. I wouldn’t want to trade him either,” Green said of Antetokounmpo’s situation in Milwaukee. “If you wanna keep him, you’ve got to go out into the market and find somebody that can keep him there.”
Green added, “If I’m the Milwaukee Bucks, I’m monitoring what the Clippers are doing with the Kawhi situation. If you can get a player like Kawhi, or someone similar to that, that can keep Giannis home.”
The former San Antonio Spurs guard also highlighted that the Bucks can build a contender around Antetokounmpo and Leonard in the East.
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Iman Shumpert, who was part of the NBA Today panel, agreed with Green that it’s ideal for the Bucks to keep Antetokounmpo rather than trade him.
Leonard is still under contract with the Clippers until the 2026-27 season, and then he’ll be a free agent. That being said, it’s certainly possible that L.A. could consider moving the two-way superstar, especially if it decides it’s better to start a rebuild.
The Clippers traded James Harden prior to the trade deadline in exchange for Darius Garland, a sign that they want to keep competing while also looking toward the future. With that slight change in their roster-building approach, Green makes a good point about Leonard potentially being available.
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Regardless, Green’s opinion is clear: the Bucks need another superstar-level player to pair with Antetokounmpo to turn themselves into a contender once again.
Related: Bucks Land Former 24 PPG Scorer to Add Help for Giannis Antetokounmpo
This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Feb 17, 2026, where it first appeared in the NBA section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.