The Milwaukee Bucks quietly explored trade conversations involving franchise superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo before the NBA trade deadline, but league insiders suggest the organization never came close to seriously considering a deal. Instead, Milwaukee appeared focused on gathering information while positioning itself for potential offseason discussions.
While the Bucks engaged in conversations with multiple teams, their asking price made any realistic deal nearly impossible, ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania revealed.
“They were engaged but they never progressed even really close with Giannis Antetokounmpo and any other team,” Charania said during ESPN’s NBA Today Trade Deadline special. “I had one team tell me that the Bucks essentially told them ‘We want you to blow us away.’ But it was never given what that means from maybe four, five, six first round picks.”
“So teams involved believe that the Bucks might truly actually feel that they can take this to the summer and try to build another contender around Giannis Antetokounmpo. Try to bring him back on board. That’s some of the feelings the Bucks were giving to some teams. This now pushes into the second half of the season, into the offseason. And on October 1, Giannis will be eligible for a four-year, $275 million extension.”
Shortly after the deadline passed, Antetokounmpo fueled speculation with a social media post featuring Leonardo DiCaprio’s famous scene from The Wolf of Wall Street, repeatedly declaring, “I’m not leaving,” alongside the caption, “Legends don’t chase. They attract.” The post immediately sparked discussion across the league regarding his long-term intentions.
“I would say this just talking to teams: I don’t believe Milwaukee ever had any intention of trading Giannis at the deadline,” Bobby Marks said on NBA Today. “And that’s okay. That’s fine. I think the intention of Milwaukee was to see what was out there. Write it down and put it away until June and July. And let’s see what else they can top. But the teams I talked to, they just never felt there would be a deal that would materialize.”
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