Why the Bucks have more leverage over Giannis Antetokounmpo’s trade situation now vs. the offseason

All eyes are on Milwaukee Bucks and Giannis Antetokounmpo from 2026 NBA trade deadline less than a week. Is this the moment Giannis, after years of speculation about his long-term future with the Bucks, finally makes the move and continues his Hall of Fame career elsewhere?

At this point, it’s safe to assume Antetokounmpo’s future in the NBA will be with one of the other 29 teams. The only question is whether he will be named before February 5 or if CEO Jon Horst and the Bucks will hold off on making this decision to switch franchises in the summer. Either way, almost no one in the NBA believes Giannis will be in Milwaukee when the time comes for the 2026-27 season to begin.

For months, the word out of Milwaukee has been consistent about Giannis. Every team that called Horst and the Bucks about the two-time MVP was met with a swift and firm pushback, and even Giannis made it public in exclusive one on one with Sam Amick of the Athletics that he would never ask for a trade from the organization he spent his entire career with.

That remains true, as Giannis has yet to officially request a trade, but both he and the Bucks are aware of what’s on the horizon. That’s why Horst and his staff more receptive than ever to trade requests for Antetokounmpo before this season’s trade deadline.

Giannis has done everything he can for the Bucks over the years. He is their all-time leader in nearly every major statistical category, and he was the main reason this organization was able to raise the banner in 2021. Wherever he goes, Bucks lore will always start with Giannis, and his number will one day hang in the rafters in Milwaukee.

The time has come for Antetokounmpo to move on, especially as the Bucks have taken major steps backwards over the past few seasons and failed to surround their superstar with the adequate talent needed to compete for another championship.

With the trade deadline less than a week away, the Bucks’ decision to trade Giannis directly revolves around what rival teams are offering.

Bucks’ key talking points in Giannis trade discussions

The Giannis trade suddenly went from myth to reality for the Bucks before this season’s trade deadline. Even if they keep him and finish the 2025-26 season with Antetokounmpo on their roster, the fact that Horst and his staff are now seriously considering offers signals that a trade will be made either now or in the summer.

Unlike Luka Doncic last year, whom the Dallas Mavericks did not make available and listened to every team’s offer, the Bucks’ phones are open to everyone’s best offer. However, this organization has made its asking price for its legend very clear.

The Bucks won’t accept anything less than a trade package that includes all of the team’s draft picks and young players. After all, this is Giannis we’re talking about. If he were to join one of the teams heavily involved in talks with the Bucks before the deadline, he would immediately make them favorites to win the NBA Finals.

So who are some of them teams actively pursuing Giannis? As reported on ClutchPoints and various media outlets, the Golden State Warriors, New York Knicks, Minnesota Timberwolves and Miami Heat were the four prominent suitors for Giannis before the trade deadline, and all of these teams made their case to the Bucks’ leadership.

As of this point, no one really knows where Giannis wants to go.

There has been a lot of speculation about it New York is Antetokounmpo’s favorite place following reports of “exclusive talks” the Bucks were in with the Knicks ahead of the 2025-26 season, but Giannis also went on record saying how much he liked the games of Anthony Edwards and Stephen Curry.

It’s also worth noting that Giannis is represented by Octagon agent Alex Saratsis, who also represents Heat All-Star Bam Adebayo. Saracis also works closely with Jeff Austin in the Octagon, who happens to represent Curry.

The main reason all these little details about Giannis matter so much is because no one really knows where or who Antetokounmpo wants to go and play with for the foreseeable future.

While the Bucks will demand a huge amount of resources from whichever team they eventually trade Giannis to, the organization also wants to do well with him. Antetokounmpo will obviously have a say in where he ends up being traded, and the Bucks will investigate every step of the way to get Giannis exactly what he told them behind closed doors, information that no one knows right now.

But at the same time, Horst and his staff have a job to do, which is to make sure the Bucks’ future is set up to succeed long-term without Antetokounmpo. That’s why the Bucks are very open to the idea of ​​trading Giannis during the next six days until the trade deadline.

Advantage of Giannis being traded at the deadline

Since before the 2025-26 season, Bucks management has been working extremely hard to get Giannis the capable talent he can win now so the franchise can compete at the highest level right now. This way of thinking led to risky moves waiving Damian Lillard and signing Myles Turner in free agency.

Milwaukee has also tried to trade for more notable talent since the start of the season. Zach LaVine, Jeremy Grant, Andrew Wiggins, Michael Porter Jr. and De’Andre Hunter are all players the Bucks have had direct trade discussions or inquired about this season.

But Horst and his staff didn’t make a move because of a lack of funds and the team’s struggles. Not to mention, the giant elephant in the room was Antetokounmpo’s eventual departure, and the time for this dire scenario in Milwaukee has finally come.

Perhaps waiting until the summer makes little sense for the Bucks to try to maximize their return for Giannis.

The Knicks will have access to two first-round trade picks they don’t currently have, and the Heat’s first-round assets that could be included in the trade will jump from two to four. Each team will also have access to their first-round pick in 2033, giving the Bucks a chance to raise even more assets deep into the future to ensure a successful post-Antetokounmpo era.

At the same time, there are some big upsides to trading Giannis right now, none bigger than the fact that the franchise currently has some leverage over their star player. By submitting all offers and willing to trade Antetokounmpo before the deadline, the Bucks know not only which teams are serious about pursuing Giannis, but also how far each team is willing to go.

For example, the The Warriors are making their entire arsenal of draft picks available in trade talks for Giannis, along with young talents such as Jonathan Cumminga, Moses Moody and Brandin Podziemski. The Bucks know how much the Warriors can offer, and that essentially sets a very high asking price from other teams.

Will the Heat be willing to go all in and surrender Tyler Hero, Kel’el Ware, Jaime Yakuez Jr., Kasparas Yakutsionis and first round draft picks for Giannis? That could be what it takes if Miami wants to win the Giannis sweepstakes.

As for teams like the Knicks and Timberwolves who don’t have the same amount of picks as the Heat and Warriors, are they able to flip their current stars and high-level talent for what Milwaukee would want? While the Knicks have Karl-Anthony Towns, Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby, the Timberwolves have Julius Randle and Jaden McDaniel.

Waiting until the offseason to make a Giannis trade could open up more assets from certain teams for the Bucks to potentially acquire, but all offers are apparently in place before the trade deadline. Neither offer will be better from a talent perspective, so Milwaukee’s decision will basically be determined by where they want to receive their draft picks.

Even if some teams have multiple draft picks, maybe the best deal currently on the board won’t be there in a few months. That’s the risk the Bucks will take if they don’t trade Giannis before the Feb. 5 deadline. Also, waiting until the offseason takes away all leverage from Horst and the Bucks.

With Giannis holding a player option for the 2027-28 season, he will essentially be working into the final year of his contract next year. No team is going to want to trade for him and give up all of their valuable assets unless they have solid confirmation that they will sign an extension, which would make Giannis in the driver’s seat with all the upside over Milwaukee.

Even without the no-trade clause, Antetokounmpo would be the one dictating where he ends up going, while right now, before the trade deadline, the Bucks and Giannis can work together to find something that works for everyone.

Of course, the biggest upside for the Bucks currently trading Giannis actually favors the superstar and his money on a potential contract extension this upcoming offseason.

Why would Giannis want a trade right now

Urgency is the best word to describe Giannis’ situation with the Bucks. He may have yet to officially request a trade, but the Bucks understand what their star ultimately wants, which is why they’re suddenly aggressive in trade talks with teams inquiring about the superstar.

As mentioned earlier, Milwaukee clearly has a high asking price, and there are teams willing to sacrifice everything to make getting Giannis a reality.

There are clearly clear advantages to the Bucks finding a trade for Giannis before the Feb. 5 deadline, and the deal currently makes the most sense for Antetokounmpo as well. This is not only because of his urgency to be a part of a winning organization, but also because of Giannis’ contract situation.

The 31-year-old signed a a three-year extension for $175.3 million with the Bucks in October 2023. That means Giannis will enter Year 2 of this extension and be eligible for another supermax contract in October before the 2026-27 season begins.

However, if Antetokounmpo is traded, he will not be able to sign a six-month contract extension with his new team. Essentially, as long as he is traded before Feb. 5, Giannis can sign a four-year, $275 million extension with his new team before the 2026-27 season without any problems.

But if the Bucks wait until the offseason to trade Giannis, he won’t be able to sign this mega-extension until January 2027. In the week leading up to the trade deadline, this could be a key talking point from Giannis’ camp that pressures the Bucks to make a move right now.

Besides, both parties understand that this relationship is over, so why not just rip off the band-aid and be done with it?

The longer Giannis is in Milwaukee, the more negative media attention will be directed at them. As much as it may bother the Bucks, it’s time to trade Giannis Antetokounmpo before the trade deadline.