The Giannis Antetokounmpo rumor mill has been churning for months now. Most people around the league think it’s not a question of if the Bucks move him, but when. But that “when” might come a lot later than fans are hoping for.
Chris Haynes dropped a bit of a buzzkill on SiriusXM NBA radio recently. He said the trade talks involving Antetokounmpo could drag all the way into free agency. Maybe even into July. That’s not exactly what you want to hear if you’ve been refreshing trade Twitter every five minutes.
Here’s what he said: “From what I’m hearing, this can drag on into free agency. This can drag on into July.”
So yeah. Buckle up.
But There’s Also Reason to Be Optimistic
Jake Fischer sees things a little differently. According to him and ClutchPoints’ Brett Siegel, the Bucks have been operating like they expect to have multiple first-round picks in this year’s draft. And that kind of behavior usually means something is cooking.
“They have been very, very busy preparing for this draft,” Fischer said. “You don’t do that much work if you don’t expect to have picks to capitalize on it.”
Fischer added that league sources say Milwaukee has been carrying itself like a franchise that expects to have both the No. 13 pick and its own No. 10 pick. The only way they get No. 13 is if Miami sends it over as part of an Antetokounmpo deal. That’s a pretty big hint.
The Main Suitors
The Heat are one of the teams pushing hardest. The Celtics are right there too. The Trail Blazers have been mentioned but it sounds like Boston and Miami are the two frontrunners. The Bucks have been taking calls since before the 2026 trade deadline and they haven’t loved what they’ve heard so far.
Nobody knows yet whether Antetokounmpo will actually be wearing a different jersey next season. Milwaukee could always decide to run it back. But the noise is getting louder. And two different insiders are pointing in two different directions. One says be patient. The other says be ready.
Either way, this thing isn’t going away quietly.
Leave a Comment