Giannis Antetokounmpo has been linked to major NBA cities as trade rumors continue to swirl following the Milwaukee Bucks‘ third straight first-round exit.
The Ringer’s Howard Beck dropped the latest rumor surrounding Antetokounmpo’s uncertain future in Milwaukee on “The Zach Lowe Show” podcast on Tuesday.
“I poked around a little bit a few days ago and the initial thing I got from one person was just like some rumblings that it’s already just the big cities: One of the LA teams or one of the New York teams or maybe Miami, not a big market, but a glamour market, mid-size market,” Howard said. “I think they threw Chicago in there. I can’t remember if Houston came up. It should. So first is like, where does Giannis want to go and do they honor that? Because again, back to Damian Lillard, you’re not obligated to honor it.”
The Lakers are looking for a lob partner for Luka Dončić. The Knicks have Karl-Anthony Towns but they can be an inside-outside frontcourt tandem. Across the river, Antetokounmpo is the Brooklyn Nets‘ Plan A, according to a New York Post report.
Miami had just lost Jimmy Butler. The Bulls lack a franchise star. The Rockets are the most intriguing team of the bunch after pushing the Butler-Stephen Curry-led Golden State Warriors to the brink in the first round.
Giannis’ Vacation Destination Fans Trade Rumors
Fans in New York got hyped when they spotted Antetokounmpo there following their loss to Indiana in the first round.
There will be clarity in Antetokounmpo’s future once he sits down with the Bucks in their annual meeting.
Following their early playoff exit, Antetokounmpo and the Bucks will have a meeting in the coming weeks, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.
Bucks Will Not Trade Giannis Unless…
The Bucks are in no hurry to trade Antetokounmpo because having him is “so important to them financially, ” according to NBA insider Marc Stein.
They will only trade their franchise star if he asks for it.
“I don’t think Giannis himself does not want to go to the Bucks and say, ‘Trade me.’ But next year, there’s no way with Damian Lillard carrying a salary of nearly 60 million — they don’t have control of their own first-round pick till 2031 — they don’t have a pathway to build a contender around him at this point,” Stein said on the “All NBA” podcast. “But the rumbles that you always hear are that just having Giannis is so important to them financially. They’re not going to trade him unless he pushes it.”
And if he does, teams will line up at the Bucks’ door.
“The whole league is on edge, waiting to see will Giannis’ representatives go to the Bucks and say, ‘It’s time. Move us, hold the auction, and start over.’ I don’t think the Bucks want to do that,” Stein said. “You could make the case that they should want to do that, that they should say, ‘Let’s go out and get the largest haul we can get back for Giannis,’ but I don’t think the Bucks are there. We’re going to see where Giannis is.”
Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Potential Next Destination Revealed Amid Trade Rumors