Even though the Milwaukee Bucks are starting to take offers for Giannis Antetokounmpo, fans shouldn’t necessarily expect a resolution to the situation before the Feb. 5 trade deadline.
Per ESPN’s Tim Bontemps and Brian Windhorst, the expectation from many people throughout the NBA is that the Antetokounmpo trade talks will “drag out until at least Thursday.”
The key point there is “at least” because the report also cited three different people who said they anticipate this will go into the offseason, in part because the Bucks could assemble better offers by waiting.
“I’m just not sure why it wouldn’t make sense to wait,” one Eastern Conference scout told Bontemps and Windhorst. “They can see where the draft [lottery] is, and survey their options then.”
Per SNY.tv’s Ian Begley, multiple teams that contacted the Bucks after it was reported they were taking offers for the two-time MVP came away feeling they were “more interested in gauging the market” right now as opposed to actively pursuing a deal.
“They can just see what the market bears now. What can they get now that would be better than around the (2026) NBA Draft,” one official from an unnamed team told Begley.
Even though the New York Knicks have been mentioned as a popular landing spot for Antetokounmpo, Brian Lewis of the New York Post reported that the other New York team, the Brooklyn Nets, have “long” had the nine-time All-Star atop their wish list and they could pursue a trade even though they want to remain committed to their rebuild.
Lewis added that the Nets’ rebuilding plan was “to tank for two seasons and be viable in Year 3.”
If the Knicks and Antetokounmpo remain infatuated with each other, as was reportedly the case last summer, it might be easier for New York to make a deal in the offseason.
The Knicks only have first-round pick swaps in 2026, 2030 and 2032 to include in a trade right now. They could expand the offer to include the 2026 pick straight up and a 2033 first-rounder on the first night of the draft.
Considering the Bucks have to nail this deal if they move forward with this as their plan, it works to their benefit to get as many teams as possible involved in talks. They can really only do that in the summer when clubs will have more cap flexibility and draft picks available.
It’s entirely plausible a team comes up with a package in the next six days that’s too good for the Bucks to pass up, but no one should be surprised if the NBA world is still talking about Antetokounmpo as a trade target when the offseason begins.