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Amid rumors of his impending exit from the Milwaukee Bucks, several teams have reportedly emerged as legitimate suitors to land superstar forward Giannis Antetokounmpo.
During an appearance Thursday on Get Up, ESPN NBA insider Brian Windhorst named the Golden State Warriors as the interested team most capable of striking a deal for Giannis without involving a third or fourth team, saying, “Primarily because they control all of their trade assets. If they were willing to offer all of them, that’s four first-round picks, potentially a couple of pick swaps, plus some young players they’re interested in including Brandin Podziemski, who is a Milwaukee native.”
Windhorst also mentioned the Miami Heat, New York Knicks and Minnesota Timberwolves as possibilities, although all of them would likely need to include other teams in order to get a deal done.
With regard to the T-Wolves, Windhorst suggested there is mutual interest between Antetokounmpo and Minnesota, saying, “This is something from what I understand, Giannis has interest in. The Timberwolves don’t have draft picks and don’t have the young players, they’ve got to center around veteran players but that is something we should keep an eye on as well.”
Windhorst echoed a report from ESPN’s Shams Charania on Wednesday that named the Timberwolves, Warriors, Heat and Knicks as “serious suitors” for Giannis.
Charania noted that multiple teams have made “aggressive offers” for Antetokounmpo, and the Bucks are “starting to listen” ahead of the Feb. 5 NBA trade deadline.
Trade rumors have swirled around Giannis since the offseason, but the Bucks reportedly didn’t start casting a wide net until now. Per Charania, Antetokounmpo expressed interest in a trade to the Knicks during the offseason, and that is the only team the Bucks engaged with before deciding to keep Giannis entering the 2025-26 season.
All of the teams mentioned by Windhorst and Charania are in the thick of the playoff race, and while adding Giannis would potentially be a game-changer, it will likely take several significant assets to get a deal done.
Windhorst noted that draft picks and Podziemski are a starting point for the Warriors, while the Heat could possibly make a similar offer since they have some promising young players in Kel’el Ware, Jaime Jaquez, Nikola Jović and Kasparas Jakučionis.
As for the Knicks and Timberwolves, they would perhaps have to move players from their core in order to make a deal happen.
Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby and Josh Hart are among the veterans New York could offer, while Minnesota could include at least one of Rudy Gobert or Julius Randle.
If the Bucks trade Giannis, one can only assume they would favor draft picks and young players since they would be entering into a clear and obvious rebuild.
At 18-27, the Bucks are 12th in the Eastern Conference, putting them far closer to the bottom than the top. Trading Antetokounmpo would likely end all hope of a bounce back.
The 31-year-old veteran is a nine-time All-Star, nine-time All-NBA selection, two-time NBA MVP, one-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year, one-time NBA champion and one-time NBA Finals MVP.
He is averaging 28.0 points, 10.0 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game this season, but injuries have limited him to 30 games, and he is currently out with a calf ailment.
The Associated Press (h/t ESPN) reported that Giannis could be back in four to six weeks, which would give him plenty of time to get acclimated with his new team before the playoffs.
Milwaukee waiting until the offseason to trade Antetokounmpo remains a possibility, but with multiple teams reportedly vying for his services in hopes of making a splash, the Bucks may be able to get the best return for him right now.