Giannis Antetokounmpo is not said to be putting any overt or public pressure on the Milwaukee Bucks to move him before the deadline, but instead continues to tell reporters that he would rather stay with the organization and continue chasing championships.
At the same time, league sources say Antetokounmpo has come to terms with the broader situation, which has led him to privately express his openness to a trade.
Several teams are believed to have emerged as the most serious suitors ahead of the deadline, including the Golden State Warriors, New York Knicks, Miami Heat and Minnesota Timberwolves.
“To put it plainly, Giannis Antetokounmpo has, I’m told, told the Bucks — has been communicating to the Bucks for several months now — that he believes the time has come to part ways, and that has essentially forced the Bucks to listen to teams, engage with teams and stay in touch with teams here this week on the eve of the NBA trade deadline,” ESPN’s Shams Charania said Wednesday on NBA Countdown.
That includes Miami, Minnesota, Golden State. But at the end of the day, general manager John Horst and Bucks have to sort through the offers and get on the same page on the big question: whether to make a trade now or push it into the offseason.
“Even tonight, just now, I’ve spoken to several sources around the teams involved, and there are certainly questions about whether Milwaukee is serious and sincere about making a move of this magnitude for this franchise at the deadline. There are clear risk-reward positions at this point that Milwaukee has to sort through, whether they do it now or wait until the summer. If they wait until the summer, Giannis essentially gets an expiring year on his deal. He still has a year left on his deal. That gives him a little bit more. Just say, a little bit more equality in terms of where he wants to end up and land.
“And the other side is that Milwaukee is probably playing more towards lottery positioning in the second half. And if Giannis wants to play in the second half, it’s a direct conflict with goals from both sides. So this is definitely a situation, even if it goes past the deadline, to keep an eye on.”
Rival executives continue to question whether Bucks are ‘serious’ about Giannis Antetokounmpo deal at deadline https://t.co/YtKFct1BaN
— RealGM (@RealGM) February 5, 2026
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