Former NBA Finals MVP and two-time league MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo is ready to leave the Milwaukee Bucks, and the team has already begun listening to offers ahead of the February 5th trade deadline, according to sources who spoke to ESPN's Shams Charania.
During an appearance on ESPN's First Take earlier today, Charania said that sources told him the Bucks are "more open than ever" to trading Antetokounmpo and that several teams have made "aggressive" trade offers to Milwaukee.
“Bucks ownership, John Horst, Doc Rivers, they sold Giannis Antetokounmpo this season on winning, winning at a high level, trying to compete for a championship in the Eastern Conference. That obviously, right now, hasn't happened,” Charania said. “ And so Giannis Antetokounmpo is looking around now, and he has made it clear to them in private conversations - as much as he loves Milwaukee, loves the organization, loves the franchise - he is ready to move to a new team potentially at the deadline or in the off-season.”
“I'm told there's already been several aggressive offers made to the Bucks,” Charania continued. “You have offers with former All-Star players, with multiple draft picks. That's all stuff that the Bucks are sifting through this week and next week… The Bucks have started listening to offers [and] engaging to an extent. They made it clear to teams what their threshold is as far as blue-chip young talent and draft compensation.”
Antetokounmpo has been much more vocal recently about the future of the Bucks. When asked on January 19th if he was confident that he would still be a member of the Bucks for the rest of the season, he answered, "I don't know."
Last Wednesday, Antetokounmpo was openly critical of the Bucks' roster following the team's 122-102 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
"[We're] not playing hard," he said after the game. "We’re not doing the right thing, not playing to win, not playing together. Our chemistry's not there. Guys are being selfish. Guys are trying to look for their own shots instead of looking for the right shot for the team. Guys [are] trying to do it on their own."
Currently, Antetokounmpo is expected to miss the next few weeks of action after suffering a right calf strain on Friday against the Denver Nuggets. At the time of his injury, Antetokounmpo predicted that he would be out four to six weeks.
On January 20th, Giannis Antetokounmpo was named a starter in the 2026 NBA All-Star Game, his tenth straight All-Star Game appearance. In 30 starts this season, Giannis is averaging 28 points, ten rebounds, and 5.6 assists per game.
