Giannis Antetokounmpo voiced his concerns over the viability of the Milwaukee Bucks as a title contender over the offseason and he wanted to explore whether there would be an alternative path forward for both himself and the franchise, sources tell ESPN.
Agent Alex Saratsis fielded significant interest in his client and conducted due diligence on the best possible fits should he be traded from the Bucks, the New York Knicks were the one team to emerge where Antetokounmpo had interest in playing.
The Bucks and Knicks engaged in conversations during a period of time in August, but the teams never gained traction on a deal. Milwaukee communicated they preferred not to trade Antetokounmpo, but those with the Bucks believe New York didn’t make a strong enough offer to even continue discussions. The process played out over multiples weeks and described by one source as an exclusive negotiating window. The Knicks don’t believe the Bucks were ever serious about considering an Antetokounmpo trade at this point.
Some sources have believed since 2024 that Antetokounmpo would want to join the Knicks if he ever explored a trade from the Bucks. Even as Antetokounmpo became a possible option over the medium term, the Knicks used their future draft picks on trading for Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns. The Knicks are left with one first round pick to trade plus three picks swaps.
Bucks sources had feared Antetokounmpo could make a formal trade request during the week of July 28 when Jon Horst traveled on his one-day trip to Greece.
This was the first offseason Antetokounmpo truly considered his best options outside the Bucks. Antetokounmpo will now pay close to attention to how the Bucks perform to start the season and also the landscape of the rest of the NBA.
Antetokounmpo will become eligible for a four-year, $275 million extension on October 1, 2026. If he’s traded, he will be able to sign the same deal with another team six months after a trade. Antetokounmpo most recently signed a contract extension with the Bucks in 2023 following their trade for Damian Lillard. Antetokounmpo also signed an extension in 2020 after the Bucks traded for Jrue Holiday.
The Bucks signed Myles Turner as their major offseason acquisition after using the waive-and-stretch provision on Lillard.