6 Giannis Antetokounmpo trade destinations if NBA superstar requests deal from Bucks
Photo by Mike Mulholland/Getty Images These six teams could trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo if he wants out of Milwaukee. Giannis Antetokounmpo has given his all to the Milwaukee Bucks for 12 seasons. It’s becoming clear that the superstar forward has taken the franchise as far as he possibly could, and it feels like time for him to start looking for a new home. The Bucks’ season ended on Tuesday night in a five-game elimination to the Indiana Pacers after a stunning overtime collapse. It’s the third straight year Milwaukee has exited the NBA Playoffs in the first-round. Antetokounmpo’s co-star Damian Lillard tore the Achilles tendon in his left leg during the series, which will likely sideline for him all of next season. The Bucks have an aging core and don’t control their first-round draft pick until 2031 because of moves made to build around Giannis. Milwaukee won the 2021 NBA championship behind Antetokounmpo’s brilliance, but at this point the franchise doesn’t have any other cards left to play. Antetokounmpo has a $62.7 million player option in 2027-2028. If he declines it, he can be a free agent in 2027, and if not his free agency would begin in summer 2028. After turning 30 years old in Dec., the two-time MVP doesn’t have time to wait. Giannis is still a top-3 player in the world, and he deserves to be competing for championships. With the NBA now in its ‘weakest link’ era, the Bucks just don’t have the talent to put anything close to a championship team around him. Antetokounmpo will decide his own future. Maybe he will stick with the Bucks his entire career the way Tim Duncan, Dirk Nowitzki, and Kobe Bryant stayed with one franchise. If Giannis wants to compete for another ring, though, he has to ask the Bucks to trade him. If Antetokounmpo requests a trade, here are six teams who should go after him. 6. Los Angeles Lakers The media push for Antetokounmpo to the Lakers will be in full swing this summer. There’s only one problem: the Lakers just don’t have a good enough package to trade. The Lakers can trade only one first-round pick and a package built around Austin Reaves for Giannis. That shouldn’t get them very far. So many teams can beat the offer. The Bucks should put a premium on draft capital if Giannis asks for a trade, and the Lakers just don’t have enough available picks. Of course, it feels like every generational star ends up on the Lakers eventually one way or another. The Lakers didn’t have the best package for Luka Doncic either, but they still landed him. Los Angeles has to be on these lists as the NBA’s most iconic franchise, but I don’t see how they can pull off another heist for a superstar. 5. San Antonio Spurs The Spurs have the best long-term building block in the NBA in Victor Wembanyama. They also still have a ton of tradeable draft picks even after acquiring De’Aaron Fox in Feb. With two more years left on Wembanyama’s rookie deal, this feels like the summer for the Spurs to push some chips in to get more talent on the roster. There’s no one better to add than Antetokounmpo. A Wemby-Giannis front line would be the best defensive front court in the NBA while also having tons of offensive firepower. The Spurs have their own first-round lottery pick and the Atlanta Hawks’ pick this year to trade. They also own the Hawks’ unprotected 2027 first-rounder, and most of their own first-round picks outside of 2027 which was traded to the Kings in the Fox deal. Where San Antonio is lacking is in good young players it can include with picks. The Spurs likely won’t want to deal Stephon Castle or Devin Vassell, but they might have no choice if they really want Giannis. It would be wild to watch Wembanyama and Antetokounmpo on the same team with Fox. The Spurs can make a serious offer if they really want to. 4. New York Knicks The Knicks made their all-in move last offseason, acquiring Mikal Bridges from the Nets for five first-round picks and a swap. The Knicks are a very good team with Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns, but they’re still a cut below the NBA’s top teams. The Knicks possibly could have landed Giannis for their Bridges package. Can they find a way to still get the Bucks star if they fall short in the playoffs? New York doesn’t have any draft picks left to trade, but they could offer Jalen Brunson or Towns. That might make some sense for a Bucks team that doesn’t have an incentive to tank without its first round picks. Giannis reportedly has an affinity for New York, and it’s possible he could pressure the Bucks into accepting this deal rather than going to some of the smaller market teams on this list. Ultimately, I think the Knicks will have some strong buyer’s regret on trading way too much for Bridges when they could have held out for Giannis a year later. The Bucks should want picks and good players, and New York gave the former away a year ago for a vastly inferior player. 3. Brooklyn Nets The Nets are full of cap space and draft picks. Brooklyn
These six teams could trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo if he wants out of Milwaukee.
Giannis Antetokounmpo has given his all to the Milwaukee Bucks for 12 seasons. It’s becoming clear that the superstar forward has taken the franchise as far as he possibly could, and it feels like time for him to start looking for a new home.
The Bucks’ season ended on Tuesday night in a five-game elimination to the Indiana Pacers after a stunning overtime collapse. It’s the third straight year Milwaukee has exited the NBA Playoffs in the first-round. Antetokounmpo’s co-star Damian Lillard tore the Achilles tendon in his left leg during the series, which will likely sideline for him all of next season. The Bucks have an aging core and don’t control their first-round draft pick until 2031 because of moves made to build around Giannis. Milwaukee won the 2021 NBA championship behind Antetokounmpo’s brilliance, but at this point the franchise doesn’t have any other cards left to play.
Antetokounmpo has a $62.7 million player option in 2027-2028. If he declines it, he can be a free agent in 2027, and if not his free agency would begin in summer 2028. After turning 30 years old in Dec., the two-time MVP doesn’t have time to wait. Giannis is still a top-3 player in the world, and he deserves to be competing for championships. With the NBA now in its ‘weakest link’ era, the Bucks just don’t have the talent to put anything close to a championship team around him.
Antetokounmpo will decide his own future. Maybe he will stick with the Bucks his entire career the way Tim Duncan, Dirk Nowitzki, and Kobe Bryant stayed with one franchise. If Giannis wants to compete for another ring, though, he has to ask the Bucks to trade him. If Antetokounmpo requests a trade, here are six teams who should go after him.
6. Los Angeles Lakers
The media push for Antetokounmpo to the Lakers will be in full swing this summer. There’s only one problem: the Lakers just don’t have a good enough package to trade. The Lakers can trade only one first-round pick and a package built around Austin Reaves for Giannis. That shouldn’t get them very far. So many teams can beat the offer. The Bucks should put a premium on draft capital if Giannis asks for a trade, and the Lakers just don’t have enough available picks. Of course, it feels like every generational star ends up on the Lakers eventually one way or another. The Lakers didn’t have the best package for Luka Doncic either, but they still landed him. Los Angeles has to be on these lists as the NBA’s most iconic franchise, but I don’t see how they can pull off another heist for a superstar.
5. San Antonio Spurs
The Spurs have the best long-term building block in the NBA in Victor Wembanyama. They also still have a ton of tradeable draft picks even after acquiring De’Aaron Fox in Feb. With two more years left on Wembanyama’s rookie deal, this feels like the summer for the Spurs to push some chips in to get more talent on the roster. There’s no one better to add than Antetokounmpo. A Wemby-Giannis front line would be the best defensive front court in the NBA while also having tons of offensive firepower. The Spurs have their own first-round lottery pick and the Atlanta Hawks’ pick this year to trade. They also own the Hawks’ unprotected 2027 first-rounder, and most of their own first-round picks outside of 2027 which was traded to the Kings in the Fox deal. Where San Antonio is lacking is in good young players it can include with picks. The Spurs likely won’t want to deal Stephon Castle or Devin Vassell, but they might have no choice if they really want Giannis. It would be wild to watch Wembanyama and Antetokounmpo on the same team with Fox. The Spurs can make a serious offer if they really want to.
4. New York Knicks
The Knicks made their all-in move last offseason, acquiring Mikal Bridges from the Nets for five first-round picks and a swap. The Knicks are a very good team with Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns, but they’re still a cut below the NBA’s top teams. The Knicks possibly could have landed Giannis for their Bridges package. Can they find a way to still get the Bucks star if they fall short in the playoffs? New York doesn’t have any draft picks left to trade, but they could offer Jalen Brunson or Towns. That might make some sense for a Bucks team that doesn’t have an incentive to tank without its first round picks. Giannis reportedly has an affinity for New York, and it’s possible he could pressure the Bucks into accepting this deal rather than going to some of the smaller market teams on this list. Ultimately, I think the Knicks will have some strong buyer’s regret on trading way too much for Bridges when they could have held out for Giannis a year later. The Bucks should want picks and good players, and New York gave the former away a year ago for a vastly inferior player.
3. Brooklyn Nets
The Nets are full of cap space and draft picks. Brooklyn has four picks in the first round of this draft, own the Knicks’ unprotected first round picks in 2027, 2029, and 2031 from the Mikal Bridges trade, and have a 2027 Philadelphia 76ers pick. The Nets are also the only team in the NBA projected to have max cap space this summer. Brooklyn can build a solid package for Antetokounmpo, and all indicates are that he has some interest in playing in New York. There’s only one problem: the Nets just feel way too early in their rebuild coming off a 26-56 season to cash in all their assets for Giannis. It feels like Brooklyn would suffer the same fate as the Bucks did, with Giannis putting up heroic numbers and the rest of the team not being good enough to truly contend. Outside a scenario where the Nets win the lottery for the rights to Cooper Flagg, and somehow keep Cam Johnson in negotiations, it just doesn’t feel like a very good situation for Antetokounmpo to contend.
2. Oklahoma City Thunder
The Thunder just won an NBA-best 68 games while also possessing a war chest of future draft picks. Oklahoma City is the championship favorite in the 2025 NBA Playoffs, but if they fall short there will be pressure on the front office to cash in some of their picks for a superstar. While a Kevin Durant reunion sounds enticing, Antetokounmpo would clearly be the top player on the market if he asks for a trade. If Giannis wants to win championships, there’s no better spot than OKC. It would be painful to potentially include Jalen Williams in this deal from the Thunder’s perspective, and the team has enough decent young prospects (Cason Wallace, Nikola Topic) that Milwaukee might consider it even without a member of their ‘big three.’ Everyone remembers what happened last time the Thunder built a young super team: eventually they couldn’t pay everyone, traded James Harden to Houston, and saw Durant leave in free agency. OKC’s huge haul of future picks is an insurance policy to make sure the team can keep replenishing its talent even it loses some pieces. What’s better than that? Giannis. If the Thunder fall short this year, adding Antetokounmpo would increase their championship odds tremendously. It’s all about winning a ring for Oklahoma City. They would love to be able to do that without Giannis, but if push comes to shove the Thunder can still make perhaps the best offer of any team.
1. Houston Rockets
Over the last two seasons, the Rockets have gone from a tanking team to the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference playoffs. Their post James Harden rebuild has resulted in a number of promising young players like Alperen Sengun, Amen Thompson, Tari Eason, Jabari Smith Jr, Reed Sheppard, and also Jalen Green. The only thing the Rockets are really missing is a true star, and it’s hard to do better than Giannis. The Rockets have an intense culture led by head coach Ime Udoka and a defense-first mentality. Both of those should resonate with Giannis. Houston has some of the best available draft picks in their possession as owners of the Suns’ first-round picks in 2025 (entering the lottery at No. 9 overall), 2027, and 2029. No team to better equipped with picks and prospects while still having enough left over to build a good team around Antetokounmpo. If the Bucks can get one of Sengun or Thompson, and one of Eason or Smith with one Suns pick and some of Houston’s own future first-round picks, it’s hard to believe any other team could beat that offer.
