Giannis Antetokounmpo is approaching a crossroads in his career where he will likely either sign an extension with the Milwaukee Bucks during the 2026 offseason or he will be traded. Antetokounmpo has a player option for the 2027-28 season meaning he can become a free agent in 20227.
Antetokounmpo has applied pressure to the Bucks ahead of his extension decisions in 2020 and 2023, which resulted in him signing long-term after their trades for Jrue Holiday and Damian Lillard. Antetokounmpo decided to remain with the Bucks this past offseason following their decision to waive-and-stretch Damian Lillard in order to sign Myles Turner.
“Always got to hold ownership’s feet to the fire,” a source close to Antetokounmpo told ESPN.
The Bucks and New York Knicks engaged in trade talks on Antetokounmpo in August, but those talks didn’t progress.
“I’ve said this many times: I want to be in a situation that I can win,” Antetokounmpo said. “I’ve communicated with my teammates, communicated with the people I respect and love, that the moment I step on this court or in this facility, I wear this jersey, the rest does not matter. I’m locked into whatever I have in front of me. Now, if in six, seven months I change my mind, I think that’s human, too.”
The Bucks, however, insist they are the same page as Antetokounmpo.
“There’s no bigger difference,” one team source told ESPN, “than the perception of the outside compared to what’s going on in-house.”