Giannis Went Silent on the Bucks Long Before the Heat Trade Went Down

Giannis Antetokounmpo is still technically a Milwaukee Buck, but according to a new report, he checked out of the organization weeks before the blockbuster deal that sent him and Bobby Portis to Miami.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Jim Owczarski wrote that Antetokounmpo purposefully cut off communication with the team leading up to the trade, which netted the Bucks Tyler Herro, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kel’el Ware, Kasparas Jakucionis, three first-round picks, a pick swap, and a second-rounder. The Greek superstar essentially went radio silent on the only NBA franchise he’s ever known.

Phone on Do Not Disturb. No Answers. No Return Calls.

Owczarski reported that Antetokounmpo told reporters on April 12 he was putting his phone on do not disturb and wasn’t going to pick up. He said the season had been draining — not just the losing, but how everyone handled the situation around him and the team.

“Just stay away from it — all of it,” Antetokounmpo said at the time. “I feel like this season, not just because of the way it went, it was draining for me for sure and how everybody approached my situation and the Bucks situation. But again, if it was draining for me, it was definitely draining for the team and for the organization.”

A few weeks earlier, in March, he had hinted that the relationship with the Bucks could be saved with what he called couples therapy. That apparent opening didn’t lead anywhere. By mid-April, he was gone — at least mentally.

A Rare Kind of Distance for a Franchise Icon

Antetokounmpo did speak with new head coach Taylor Jenkins “on several occasions,” per Owczarski. But beyond those conversations, he kept his distance. He didn’t return messages or calls from the team. The Bucks didn’t keep his representatives in the loop about trade talks. And he didn’t let anyone from the organization monitor his training.

That level of detachment is unusual for a player who spent 13 years in Milwaukee, drafted 15th overall in 2013. Over that span he became a two-time MVP, won a championship in 2021, and took home Finals MVP honors. But this season felt different. The trade rumors had been swirling for months, and by the end, nobody was sure where Antetokounmpo’s head was at.

Now we know. He wasn’t answering the phone.