As Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks prepare to discuss his future with the franchise, there are two main questions executives in the NBA are asking that will help determine the course of events leading to the trade deadline on February 5th.
“In the wake of what happened yesterday, I’m getting two different questions from people in the league over the last 24 hours,” said Brian Windhorst on First Take. “One is do we think that after saber-rattling before, in August he had an interest in playing for the Knicks. The Knicks and Bucks had trade conversations about it. They weren’t able to come to a deal. But I promise you it wasn’t the Bucks’ idea to have those negotiations. I promise you the Knicks got the call to ask and start the trade conversations because they didn’t think it was coming.
“So did Giannis come and sit with ownership and say ‘trade me’. He did not, but he was interested in it. Here we are again and there’s interest in Giannis’ side in maybe making a change.
“Will he go forward and take the next step and say ‘trade me’? This is what the league wants to know. Because in the past we have gotten here and he has not gone to the line and has not said ‘I want to be traded.’
“The second thing is if he gets to that line, will the list include more than just the Knicks? Because in the summer, it was just the Knicks. If the list includes more than just the Knicks, will Giannis get to control the trade?”
The Knicks are unlikely to have the best offer for Antetokounmpo as they don’t currently have any tradeable first round picks, but they do have four swaps available.
Antetokounmpo becomes eligible on October 1, 2026 for a four-year, $275 million maximum extension through the 2030-31 season and could become a free agent as early as 2027. If Antetokounmpo is traded, he can sign the same extension with his new team six months after the deal.
Mechanically, a trade involving Antetokounmpo becomes far easier for the Bucks to execute in the offseason when there are fewer restrictions in place.