With just hours to go before the NBA trade deadline, could Milwaukee Bucks megastar Giannis Antetokounmpo pull off a trade on-par with what Luka Doncic did last year? He may not be LA-bound, but there are still some solid options out there.
According to NBA insider Jake Fischer, three teams are currently believed to be "in play" for The Greek Freak. Those teams are the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Miami Heat and the Golden State Warriors. As a side note, the Bucks are also talking to the Grizzlies about possibly landing Ja Morant.
But Fischer also noted that there is not an overwhelming belief that Giannis will be traded in the first place.
"The Wolves and Heat, sources say, still believe they are in play for landing Giannis Antetokounmpo today, although like the Warriors, few believe Milwaukee is actually serious about parting ways with their franchise face. I’m still being told the Bucks are engaged with the Grizzlies on Ja Morant as well," Fischer wrote.
Racing towards a resolution
Giannis Antetokounmpo has been out with a calf injury for over a week now and there's no timetable on his return. Assuming this isn't one of those injuries that will magically go away the second he's traded, whichever team lands him isn't a lock to have his services for a key stretch of games.
But all three teams that are pursuing Giannis clearly have ambitions that go beyond the 2025-26 NBA playoffs.
Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images
The Heat have not won an NBA playoff series since the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals. The Warriors have not gone past the Western Conference Semifinals since winning it all in 2022. And the Timberwolves are trying to reach their first-ever trip to the Finals while they have Anthony Edwards in his prime.
Whether or not any of those three teams have a trade package that the Bucks would want for an MVP player like Giannis remains to be seen, but it won't be for a lack of trying.