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So the full Giannis Antetokounmpo Trade Landscape, as we speak, is laid out here
Since Saturday we’ve been reporting on the Milwaukee Bucks’ “grudging realization over the course of this season” that Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s exit from the franchise “might finally be best for both sides.”
We’ve been writing about a possible deal before the Feb. 5 trade deadline ever since and now — with that deadline just one week away — Milwaukee’s realization has steered the Bucks to a point where they are listening to trade pitches for their Face of the Franchise more seriously than they ever have before.
That doesn’t guarantee that Antetokounmpo will be traded in the next week, but it has dramatically increased the likelihood … even with Antetokounmpo sidelined indefinitely by his second serious right calf injury of the season.
And that’s why we have joined forces for a double-bylined effort to go deep on how the landscape looks for the Bucks as they face the most monumental decision in franchise history since trading away Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1975.
No team, as we speak, has been classified as firmly in the lead to acquire Antetokounmpo.
The Bucks, for starters, haven’t ruled out keeping Antetokounmpo beyond the Feb. 5 deadline to push the whole process into NBA Draft Season in May and June and create a broader marketplace … even as they’re taking the calls now that they’ve for so long resisted.
Also: It is believed that Antetokounmpo — who continues to be described by numerous sources as wanting to head for the exit ramp sooner rather than later without explicitly asking for it himself — has yet to try to force his way to a particular new team or two. Which could still happen and naturally impact the week to come hugely.
However …
Two teams have come up frequently in recent days in our conversations with various teams around the league that are either in direct pursuit of Antetokounmpo or closely following the situation.