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Buzz surrounding Milwaukee Bucks superstar forward Giannis Antetokounmpo is building as the Feb. 5 NBA trade deadline draws closer, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he will be moved.
According to NBA insider Marc Stein of The Stein Line, representatives from two teams indicated that they believe a Giannis trade prior to the deadline is a possibility. However, a rep from a third team said they are “convinced” the Bucks will wait until the offseason to entertain the possibility of moving the face of the franchise.
If the Bucks do decide to trade Antetokounmpo within the next week, multiple league executives named the Miami Heat as the likeliest landing spot when speaking with Stein.
One team not expected to make a run at Giannis prior to the trade deadline is reportedly the Houston Rockets.
Speaking Wednesday on Brian Windhorst & The Hoop Collective (beginning at the 3:11 mark), ESPN’s Tim MacMahon said he was told Antetokounmpo to Houston is “not in play” as a deadline deal.
While the Rockets may not be in play for a deal, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, during a Wednesday appearance on Get Up (2:57 mark of the video), said teams around the league “all believe” the Bucks will make a deal before the trade deadline.
“Team after team that I talk to are preparing for it,” Windhorst said.
However, Windhorst also floated the possibility that the Bucks could use Antetokounmpo’s injury to jockey for draft position in order to pitch him on playing with a young star and could trade him if such an overture failed.
Giannis has been the subject of trade rumors since the summer, but the Bucks decided to keep him in an effort to make a run at the playoffs and potentially even a championship this season.
That has not gone according to plan, though, as the Bucks are currently a disappointing 12th in the Eastern Conference with an 18-27 record.
Much of that can be attributed to Antetokounmpo missing significant time due to injury, as he has been limited to only 30 games thus far.
In the 15 games Giannis has missed, the Bucks are just 3-12. That includes a 139-122 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday.
Antetokounmpo suffered a calf strain during a loss to the Denver Nuggets last week, and while the Bucks have not given a timetable for his return, the Associated Press (h/t ESPN) reported that it could be in the area of four to six weeks.
Although that timeline would have him back in plenty of time for the stretch run and the playoffs, it does potentially complicate matters in terms of a trade.
Waiting until the offseason when the 31-year-old veteran is presumably healthy would conceivably allow the Bucks to net the greatest return possible.
When healthy, Antetokounmpo is undoubtedly still among the top players in the NBA.
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, Giannis has remained highly productive this season when he has played.
In 30 games, Giannis is averaging 28.0 points, 10.0 rebounds and 5.6 assists per contest, while shooting a career-best 64.5 percent from the field.
Assuming he returns to full health this season, acquiring a player of Giannis’ caliber could be a complete game-changer for a team like the Heat.
Miami is very much a playoff contender, as its 25-22 record has it seventh in the Eastern Conference currently, but the Heat don’t feel like a legitimate championship threat.
It is unclear exactly what the Heat would give up in a trade for Antetokounmpo, but they have the salaries to make it work, as well as draft picks and promising young players such as Kel’el Ware, Kasparas Jakučionis, Nikola Jović and Jaime Jaquez.
The Bucks are under no pressure to rush into a trade, though, which is why an offseason deal does indeed still feel like the most realistic scenario.