It sure sounds like the Milwaukee Bucks and Giannis Antetokounmpo are about to part ways. According to ESPN's Shams Charania, Giannis and his agent have "started conversations" about his future with the team. A resolution is expected within weeks.
ESPN's Brian Windhorst reported that Giannis already asked for a trade in the offseason. His preferred destination? The New York Knicks. Expect Giannis to leverage his star stature in an attempt to control his ultimate landing spot. Here are a few teams that can throw their hat in the ring.
5. San Antonio Spurs
Spurs receive — Giannis Antetokounmpo, Andre Jackson Jr.
Bucks receive — Devin Vassell, Stephon Castle, Harrison Barnes, ATL 2027 first-round pick, SAS 2029 first-round pick, SAS 2032 first-round pick
The San Antonio Spurs are clearly hoping to speed up their competitive timeline around Victor Wembanyama. He's such a singular talent, but he's also 7-foot-4 (allegedly), with a body type that does not historically lead to prolonged durability. The Spurs can't putter around in no-man's land just because Wemby is "young."
While Giannis might prefer a more glamorous market, it's hard to scoff at the chance to play alongside Wemby as he's beginning to realize his superhuman powers. Suddenly, San Antonio has the most dominant frontcourt duo... ever? The sheer elasticity and versatility of a Giannis-Wemby frontcourt is difficult to wrap one's mind around. Wemby has essentially blossomed into a three-level scoring engine with guard skills. Giannis is the NBA's preeminent downhill attacker. There's a chance for beautiful synergy, not to mention an elite defensive backbone.
Giannis won't come for cheap, of course, and the Spurs are somewhat limited in terms of available draft capital after the De'Aaron Fox trade. Even so, Devin Vassell (on a friendly four-year contract) and Stephon Castle is a strong starting point. And no, Spurs fans, you can't keep both Castle and Dylan Harper. And you keep Harper at all costs.
Harrison Barnes makes the salary work. Phone it in and the Spurs suddenly shape up as OKC's primary threat in the West.
4. Dallas Mavericks
Mavericks receive — Giannis Antetokounmpo
Bucks receive — Anthony Davis, DAL 2026 first-round pick, DAL 2029 first-round pick, LAL 2029 first-round pick, DAL 2031 first-round pick
This probably isn't enough, and there's a certain irony to the Dallas Mavericks further depleting their asset pool to add another aging star. But Giannis is a far, far better centerpiece than Anthony Davis at this stage in their respective careers, so it's worth a shot. Mark Cuban can pick up the phone, wield his newfound organizational power, and at least attempt to sweet-talk Milwaukee into a deal.
Cooper Flagg is beginning to find his stride after a bumpy start to the season (shock!). He's going to be a proper star sooner than later. Kyrie Irving will return midseason. Add Giannis to the mix, and Dallas can still salvage the 2026 campaign and build a championship contender in Nico Harrison's image (RIP!). Jokes aside, there is obvious risk here. If Giannis gets hurt, or if Flagg can't quite take that next leap as a rookie, the Mavs might end up forking over a lottery pick to Milwaukee. But the chance to align the waning stage of Giannis' prime with the waxing stage of Flagg's prime is worth a gamble.
The Bucks probably aren't keen on swapping Giannis for an older, more injury-prone power forward type. A Myles Turner-AD frontcourt might be the saddest in the NBA, even if the shot blocking numbers would make even the most hardened skeptics swoon. Still, four first-round picks is nothing to scoff at, and the Bucks don't own their picks, so tanking is a moot cause. AD can potentially restore his value on the court and then net the Bucks another haul in the not-so-distant future. That is, in a perfect world, at least.
3. Toronto Raptors
Raptors receive — Giannis Antetokounmpo, Gary Trent Jr., Andre Jackson Jr.
Bucks receive — Immanuel Quickley, R.J. Barrett, Collin Murray-Boyles, TOR 2026 first-round pick, TOR 2028 first-round pick, TOR 2030 first-round pick, TOR 2032 first-round pick
The Toronto Raptors are uniquely well-positioned for a Giannis trade. At 14-7, Toronto has found its stride and emerged as a genuine second-tier contender in the East. The roster has the right mix of pricey star contracts and quality prospects to match salaries and pique Milwaukee's interest. Plus, former GM Masai Ujiri — long thought to covet Antetokounmpo north of the border — left the Raptors with all their picks.
Toronto might need to wade into Scottie Barnes or Brandon Ingram territory, but frankly, not many teams have the means and motivation to beat the offer laid out above. Immanuel Quickley gives Toronto a twitchy, high-octane off guard to share the backcourt with Ryan Rollins. R.J. Barrett has his shortcomings, but he's a prodigious slasher who shoots enough 3s to get by. Collin Murray-Boyles, the No. 9 pick in June's NBA Draft, is a smothering, Swiss Army Knife defender in the frontcourt and a potentially ideal pairing next to Myles Turner.
The Raptors would go ultra-long and ultra-athletic, which has been their M.O. for what feels like forever. Jakob Poeltl and Giannis anchor the paint, while Scottie Barnes operates as a jumbo playmaker and a smothering wing stopper on D. Ingram can operate as Giannis' primary offensive foil and help shoulder some of the halfcourt creation burden. Gradey Dick, Ja'Kobe Walter, Gary Trent Jr. and Cole Anthony can pepper the opposing defense with spot-up 3s and supply the necessary connective tissue.
All of a sudden, the Raptors profile as very real threats to win the East and maybe even give OKC a run for its money.
2. Golden State Warriors
Warriors receive — Giannis Antetokounmpo, Gary Harris
Bucks receive — Jimmy Butler, Brandin Podziemski, Will Richard, GSW 2028 first-round pick, GSW 2032 first-round pick
The Golden State Warriors' cleanest path to a Giannis trade is packaging Jimmy Butler with a couple young pieces and a handful of draft assets. This is probably a nightmare outcome for Butler after all the fuss he made to get out of Miami and to a contender, but the NBA is a business. Giannis would meaningfully move the needle for a Dubs team on its last legs. This would be one final miracle to salvage the end of the Stephen Curry era.
On paper, Golden State has the NBA's foremost off-ball shooter and its foremost downhill scorer — a potent combo. Giannis and Steph should work beautifully out of various two-man actions. There is some uncomfortable overlap between Giannis and Draymond Green in the frontcourt, but it should be workable. Green and Antetokounmpo are both smart; their combined IQ and playmaking talents should give Steve Kerr a lot of wrinkles to explore.
Milwaukee, again, can't really tank in the interim. Let Jimmy Butler keep their head above water as best he can for a season and then reevaluate in the summer. Doc Rivers, despite his many flaws, does two things better than your average coach: he empowers his stars and he gets misshapen rosters to play above their means. If Butler puts on a show as the frontman in Milwaukee, the Bucks can send him to a different contender soon. Or, perhaps this ends up as a three-team deal.
1. New York Knicks
Knicks receive: Giannis Antetokounmpo
Bucks receive: Karl-Anthony Towns, Pacôme Dadiet, NYK 2026 first-round pick
Giannis expressed his desire to join the Knicks last offseason, per ESPN's Shams Charania. The two-time MVP is sure to have leverage over these negotiations, so the Knicks are clear favorites — despite not having the best asset collection. Milwaukee could ignore Giannis' wishes, of course, and there are potential three-team frameworks that might net the Bucks more draft capital. There are options.
The Bucks could try to net a package including one or both of OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges, but Karl-Anthony Towns is still the Knicks' second-best player and the most valuable return for Milwaukee. Is he a clean fit next to Myles Turner for the next four years? Of course not, but Milwaukee can either bench Turner, trade him, or just make do until KAT becomes available to the highest bidder next summer.
This has been a wonky offensive season so far for Towns, but his unique blend of 3-point shooting and interior skill gives him a strong floor. He's probably a better defender than his reputation suggests. Hand him the keys to the car in Cream City, and KAT will put up numbers. That should serve as a nice reminder of what he's capable of, which the Bucks can parlay into a more pick-heavy trade return down the road.
It feels almost unfair to just gift the Knicks the second-best player in the world, but such are the advantages of being centrally located in New York City.