Giannis Antetokounmpo raised alarm bells around the Milwaukee Bucks last week in an illuminating interview with the New York Times. While he didn't hint at any immediate desire to leave the Bucks, he did put pressure on the front office to continue winning. In so many words, he said if the Bucks ever consider a rebuild, he will leave.
That's a firm statement from Giannis, who has long been exceptionally loyal to the Bucks franchise since his arrival in 2013. There's no reason to believe that has changed — Antetokounmpo's preference here is that the Bucks simply contend for the next decade — but it's clear Giannis is no longer bound, heart and soul, to Milwaukee regardless of the circumstances.
We have seen superstars leave small markets for supposedly greener pastures for all of NBA history. The Bucks were the No. 1 seed last season, but a loss to the No. 8 seed Heat in the first round raised a great many questions about the direction of the franchise. Mike Budenholzer, a personal favorite of Giannis, was fired for former Raptors assistant coach Adrian Griffin. Maybe those two click and it's all smooth sailing, but there's always an outside chance that a coaching change brings about unintended consequences.
Giannis is a two-time MVP and arguably the best player on the face of the planet. If he does request a trade, or hint at a desire to leave the Bucks in free agency, teams will line up around the block to make their best pitch. He can hit the open market in 2026, if he so chooses.
Antetokounmpo is the rare superstar where no team should think twice about at least picking up the phone. That said, these teams in particular should be circling like vultures.
3. New Orleans Pelicans should prep trade offer for Giannis Antetokounmpo
Giannis Antetokounmpo and Zion Williamson? Yes please. The Pelicans have the draft capital and young talent to tempt a hypothetically rebuilding Bucks team. New Orleans also has the peronnel to immediately win a bunch of games with Giannis on the roster.
Now, the Giannis and Zion fit is wonky at first glance. Both are traditionally thought of as power forwards who score in much the same way: blunt-force drives to the rim. Giannis has attempted to stretch his game to the 3-point line, with mixed results. But his bread and butter is scoring in the paint. Zion will only score in the paint, where he's probably the best finisher in the world.
One potential solution is to start "small" with Giannis at the five. That duo doesn't really qualify as small given the strength factor (plus Giannis is a 7-footer), but Giannis has spent the bulk of his career next to Brook Lopez and the like. It would be a shift in priorities on defense. On offense, however, teams would be collapsing on the paint every possession in a vain attempt to hold the Pelicans down. That would lead to a hearty 3-point barrage from Brandon Ingram, Trey Murphy III, and others.
Giannis and Zion would absolutely thrive together. The fast breaks, the snug pick-and-rolls, the constant drive-and-kicks. The Pelicans would have very little trouble making two of the league's best offensive engines work in unison, no matter how unique the concepts behind it are.
The Pelicans have a treasure trove of draft picks and young players to offer up. Giannis would require a massive trade package, even in the shifting market of the new CBA, but the Pelicans are better equipped than most teams to make the Bucks think.
2. Oklahoma City Thunder should prep trade offer for Giannis Antetokounmpo
The Oklahoma City Thunder are on the verge of making serious noise in the Western Conference. That starts with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, a genuine top-10 NBA player who only recently turned 25 years old. His emergence will define the Thunder's timeline. Sam Presti has been remarkably patient with his rebuild, but OKC doesn't have the roster space to use all of its first-round picks over the next few years and SGA is ready to win now.
Giannis and SGA would immediately become the best duo in the NBA. It's not the most natural fit on paper — one's natural inclination is to pair Giannis with a 3-point bomber, and that's not Gilgeous-Alexander — but not unlike the Zion pairing, there's simply too much natural talent to go wrong.
The best NBA players create advantages. Few are better at it than Gilgeous-Alexander. He's unstoppable in isolation, constantly shifting speed and direction before using his Stretch Armstrong reach to finish around the rim or shoot over the top of his defender. SGA understands intuitively how to compromise his defender.
Giannis is more of a battering ram. He's too big, too strong, and too fast to stop in the paint. Once he gets a head of stream, Giannis is the most intimidating physical force in the NBA. The Thunder would do a lot of damage scoring in the paint. Meanwhile, the shooters on the roster would get a ton of clean looks from the perimeter. Both Gilgeous-Alexander and Antetokounmpo will make the extra pass.
OKC is also blessed with young talent at virtually every position. Sam Presti has 16 first-round picks between 2024 and 2030. The Thunder also boast Chet Holmgren, Jalen Williams, and Josh Giddey, all of whom are under 23 years old with genuine All-Star potential. Cason Wallace was a lottery pick. Lu Dort is one of the best perimeter defenders in the NBA. The trade chips are endless.
The Thunder can make an unbeatable offer for Giannis without stripping the roster dry. In theory, such a young team could get better around Giannis as he starts to decline, which should increase Antetokounmpo's competitve window. OKC isn't the world's flashiest market, but if Giannis is truly focused on winning, it's hard to imagine a better place.
1. New York Knicks should prep trade offer for Giannis Antetokounmpo
The New York Knicks have deliberately saved up their trade assets for the "right" star. Popular theorizing ties Joel Embiid to the Knicks, but one has to believe Giannis would take immediate priority if he ever asks out of Milwaukee.
This is more in line with the course of NBA history. A superstar decides to leave his small market in search of a better chance to compete and ends up in a marquee destination like New York. It has been a long time since the Knicks won anything of note, but it's not hard to see the appeal from Giannis' perspective. Jalen Brunson won everybody over in the playoffs and New York isn't short on complementary talent. Plus, it's Madison Square Garden. It's NYC. Giannis is concerned with his brand. It happens.
Tom Thibodeau could be the worst and best thing to happen to Giannis' career. The minutes would go through the roof, but they're wired the same way. Antetokounmpo can take tough love and he's a relentless hustler on defense. Thibs would fall head over heels.
On the offensive end, there's plenty of upside to be mined from the Antetokounmpo-Brunson duo. Giannis gives the Knicks built-in rim pressure. He will collapse the defense and draw double teams on every touch. Brunson isn't the highest-volume shooter beyond the arc, but he's very efficient (41.6 percent on 4.7 attempts). Off the dribble, Brunson is a master manipulator. He's shifty and deliberate, taking his time and often weaponizing his unique strength to carve out space for pull-up jumpers or drives to the cup. There'd be an interesting — and potentially very fruitful — clash in pace between Brunson's patient ball-handling and Giannis' breakneck forays down the lane.
The rest of the fit here is less clean. There's really no way Julius Randle survives a Giannis trade. The R.J. Barrett project immediately takes a back seat — or is eliminated entirely, given his struggles from 3-point range. The Knicks would ideally be able to move both to match Giannis' salary (with a mountain of draft capital) while keeping quality role players like Josh Hart, Immanuel Quickley, and Quentin Grimes on the roster. That's easier said than done, though. Giannis is going to fetch a hefty price.
