Whether or not Giannis Antetokounmpo would request a trade from the Milwaukee Bucks was one of the hottest questions circulating around the NBA this offseason. Much noise was made about Giannis' long-term future, yet the two-time MVP has remained loyal to his team and will start the 2025-26 season with the Bucks.
Even so, many are still wondering if time is running out for executive Jon Horst and Milwaukee's leadership to prove to Antetokounmpo that they have what it takes to win another championship.
That is Giannis' ultimate goal, and if he thinks such can't be achieved with Milwaukee, he will pursue other opportunities around the league. The Bucks would obviously never willingly trade Giannis out of nowhere, unlike Luka Doncic, who was traded in the middle of the night by the Dallas Mavericks with no warning.
However, Antetokounmpo recently admitted that he is prepared to share a similar fate.
“Look, I hope it never happens, but I’m expecting it too. Just because you’ve given a lot to the team doesn’t mean the team won’t do what’s best for itself,” Antetokounmpo told Sport24 from Greece in an exclusive interview. “It’s not always the same owners. And when I say owners— the team presidents now — they’re not the same as when we won the championship. It’s someone else.
Antetokounmpo went on to discuss how team presidents and executives may perceive him and why he doesn't let all the trade chatter affect his mentality.
“If Giannis doesn’t work for me, can’t offer me what I need, I’ll trade him,” Giannis admitted from an executive's point of view. “I’ll do what’s best for my team and my investment. I’ve put hundreds of millions into the team.
“Sure, if my head were in the clouds, I’d say, ‘No way I get traded, I’m Giannis Antetokounmpo.’ Because I’m not in the clouds and I’m very normal, grounded, I say anything is possible — you never know. When that (Luka Doncic) trade happened, it wasn’t just me who was shocked— anyone who watches basketball was shocked.”
Of course, Antetokounmpo's comments will surely be skewed and taken slightly out of context here based on who you ask.
Although he did kind of hint at the fact that he could be traded at any time by the Bucks, this was a very candid response from the superstar big man as it relates to how the business side of basketball operates.
Teams are always reshuffling their rosters, and if Doncic can be traded at such a young age and after so many accomplishments, what's stopping Giannis' team from trading him?
That is what Antetokounmpo is alluding to here, and he made it clear that he views such a scenario as a plausible option.
At the same time, Giannis can only control what he can control, and he isn't full of himself to the point where his “head is in the clouds” and overshadows his real judgment.
Time will tell what the future holds for Giannis and the Bucks, as they enter the 2025-26 season in desperate need of finding immediate success, specifically come time for the playoffs.
