NBA trade deadline: What should the Bucks do with Giannis? - ESPN

At some point between now and the 2026 NBA offseason, the Milwaukee Bucks will face a franchise-altering decision:

Whether or not to trade Giannis Antetokounmpo. That decision could be sooner rather than later.

As ESPN's Shams Charania reported, Milwaukee is beginning to listen to offers for Antetokounmpo, and the Bucks' two-time MVP is ready and prepared to move to a new NBA home at the deadline or in the offseason.

Since he was drafted in 2013, Antetokounmpo has been committed to the franchise, signing extensions in 2016, 2020 and 2023. And general manager Jon Horst has been committed to building around Milwaukee's superstar, hoping to recreate the championship-caliber supporting cast that helped end a 50-year title drought in 2021.

But flashy offseason moves — among them, an ill-fated trade for guard Damian Lillard in 2023 and the free agent signing of center Myles Turner last summer — haven't gotten Milwaukee any closer to title contention. This season, the 18-27 Bucks are on pace for their worst record in 10 years and are in danger of picking in the lottery for the first time since 2015.

The combination of a below-average supporting cast — the Bucks are minus-11.2 points per 100 possessions when Antetokounmpo sits — and the realization that the 31-year-old forward is set to enter the final year of his contract had created a feeling around the league that a trade is closer than ever.

But to where? Which teams have the draft assets and salary cap space to get a deal done? Which teams would risk a move without any guarantee of Antetokounmpo signing an extension? Would the Oklahoma City Thunder or Detroit Pistons — each conference's current No. 1 seed — dare to enter trade talks with Milwaukee?

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