8 Trade Landing Spots For Milwaukee Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo

Giannis Antetokounmpo’s long-term future with the Milwaukee Bucks came back under the microscope Wednesday. Before Antetokounmpo suffered a right calf strain in the Bucks’ win over the Detroit Pistons, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that the Greek Freak and his agent “are having conversations” with the Bucks about his future—”and discussing whether his best fit is staying or a move elsewhere.”

The Bucks got off to a 4-1 start this season, but they’ve been nosediving ever since. Prior to their win over the Eastern Conference-leading Pistons, they had lost eight of their previous nine games. If the Bucks can’t stay afloat in his absence—he’s expected to miss 2-4 weeks with his calf injury—that might push him over the edge.

If Antetokounmpo does officially request a trade—or the Bucks read the writing on the wall and decide to hear out offers for him—every team in the NBA figures to inquire about Milwaukee’s asking price. However, some teams are effectively out of the running before the bidding even begins.

Antetokounmpo is earning $54.1 million this year, is owed nearly $58.5 million next year and has a $62.8 million player option in 2027-28. The Bucks are $17.2 million below the first apron, so they’re allowed to take back 125% of the salary that they send out in a trade, plus $250,000. However, teams above the first apron can’t take back more salary than they send out, which limits the types of packages that the Cleveland Cavaliers, New York Knicks, Golden State Warriors, Dallas Mavericks, Minnesota Timberwolves and Boston Celtics could offer.

With that in mind, let’s walk through eight teams (in alphabetical order) that have the assets, financial flexibility and/or proximity to championship contention that should make them appealing to Antetokounmpo if he decides to request a trade.

1. Atlanta Hawks

The Hawks wouldn’t have much trouble putting together a compelling offer for Antetokounmpo. They’re hard-capped at the first apron, but they’re nearly $13.5 million below it, so they can take back more salary than they send out in a trade if needed.

The Hawks also have a blue-chip asset: the better of the Bucks or New Orleans Pelicans’ unprotected 2026 first-round pick. (Milwaukee is already set to receive the less favorable of the two.) The Pelicans currently have the NBA’s worst record at 3-20, and star forward Zion Williamson is sidelined indefinitely due to a Grade 2 right hip adductor strain. That pick figures to be in the mid-lottery at worst.

Beyond that, Atlanta is also set to receive the less favorable of the Bucks and Pelicans’ 2027 first-round picks (protected 1-4). Regaining control of their next two first-round picks would allow the Bucks to embrace a full rebuild in the wake of an Antetokounmpo trade, which might make the Hawks their ideal trade partner.

The big question is which players the Hawks would be sending as well. Given their reluctance to sign star point guard Trae Young to an extension, they might try to offload him as the main salary chip. A deal built around him and 2024 No. 1 overall pick Zaccharie Risacher would be cap-legal, but Young can become an unrestricted free agent in 2026 by declining his $49.0 million player option. Would the Bucks risk trading Antetokounmpo for a potential two-month rental?

The alternative would be asking for breakout forward Jalen Johnson, who’s only in the first year of his five-year, $150 million steal of a contract, and offseason signing Nickeil Alexander-Walker, who’s also in the midst of a career year. The Hawks would effectively be hitching their wagons to Young and Antetokounmpo moving forward. But would they be willing to part with the 2026 first-round pick if they’re giving up Johnson and Alexander-Walker as well?

That might be the cost of doing business for a star like Antetokounmpo.

2. Detroit Pistons

The Pistons are off to an Eastern Conference-best 17-5 start even after their loss to the Antetokounmpo-less Bucks on Wednesday. Cade Cunningham, who made his first All-Star team and earned his first All-NBA nod last season, has been even better this year, while fourth-year center Jalen Duren has also leveled up, particularly as a scorer.

Adding Antetokounmpo to that core could give the Pistons one of the best Big Threes in the NBA. It might cost them the rest of their blue-chip prospects, though.

If the Pistons weren’t willing to offer Duren or Cunningham, they’d likely have to include at least two of Jaden Ivey, Ausar Thompson and Ron Holland II, all of whom were No. 5 overall picks over the past four years. They could round out their offer with salary filler such as Tobias Harris ($26.6 million), Duncan Robinson ($16.8 million), Isaiah Stewart ($15.0 million) and/or Caris LeVert ($14.1 million) after Dec. 15.

The Pistons aren’t owed any first-round picks from other teams, but they have full control of their own first-rounders through 2032. They could offer as many as four first-round picks and three pick swaps, and they have a total of 14 second-round picks between now and 2032 with which they could sweeten the pot.

If the Bucks can’t regain control of their 2026 and/or 2027 first-rounders, they might not have interest in a picks- and prospects-heavy package. Getting at least two of Ivey, Thompson and Holland along with a bushel of draft picks would be a strong foundation for a rebuild, though.

3. Houston Rockets

The Rockets have three blue-chip young players in Alperen Şengün, Amen Thompson and Reed Sheppard. The Bucks would likely demand at least one, if not two of them in any Giannis trade framework.

The Rockets have a few high-upside draft picks that they could offer, too. They have the right to swap first-round picks with the Brooklyn Nets in 2027, and they have a fully unprotected first-rounder from the Phoenix Suns in 2027 as well. They also have the two most favorable of the Suns’ unprotected first-round pick in 2029, the Dallas Mavericks’ unprotected first-round pick in 2029 and their own.

The question is which picks and young, high-upside players they’d be willing to part with for Giannis—and whether he’d fit with the remaining core.

The Rockets are also hard-capped at the first apron and are only $1.25 million below it at the moment. So, they can take back slightly more salary than they send out in a trade, but not much. With that in mind, the easiest framework from their perspective would be Şengün ($33.9 million) and Fred VanVleet ($25.0 million) packaged with a haul of draft capital. They could include Tari Eason ($5.7 million) as a sweetener, too.

If the Bucks refuse to engage unless the Rockets include Thompson ($9.7 million), packaging Thompson, VanVleet and Dorian Finney-Smith ($12.7 million) would get them up to $47.4 million. They’d likely have to add Steven Adams ($14.1 million) to give themselves enough room under the first apron to fill out the roster, though.

4. New York Knicks

In early October, Charania reported that one of Antetokounmpo’s agents “conducted serious due diligence on best possible outside fits” this offseason in case Anetokounmpo requested a trade. Although “several teams were discussed internally,” the New York Knicks were the “only place Antetokounmpo wanted to play outside of Milwaukee.”

Charania added that the Knicks and Bucks did discuss potential trades in the offseason during what one source described as an “exclusive negotiating window.” However, Charania reported this week that said window has closed, as “multiple other teams would be expected to emerge as suitors” for Antetokounmpo.

That’s bad news for the Knicks, who’ve already burned through most of their assets to acquire OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns via trade over the past two years. They owe their fully unprotected 2027, 2029 and 2031 first-round picks to the Brooklyn Nets from the Bridges deal, so the only first-rounder they can offer is a top-eight-protected 2026 pick from the Washington Wizards that seems unlikely to convey. (If it doesn’t, the Wizards will send their 2026 and 2027 second-round picks instead.)

The Knicks are also hard-capped at the second apron and sit less than $150,000 below it, so they can’t take back more salary than they send out in any deal. That means an in-season trade between the Bucks and Knicks would have to include at least one other team, which further complicates matters.

Towns ($53.1 million) would be the cleanest one to move from a salary perspective, although the Bucks just signed fellow center Myles Turner to a nine-figure deal in free agency this past offseason. Other teams can easily come over the top of the Knicks’ best offer, so their only chance of landing Antetokounmpo may be if he makes it clear that he won’t re-sign with any other team that trades for him.

5. Oklahoma City Thunder

The Thunder are fresh off winning their first championship in franchise history, and they’re off to one of the best starts in NBA history this year. Would they really risk compromising their core by taking a swing on the Greek Freak?

The Thunder could try to build a deal around Isaiah Hartenstein ($28.5 million) and Lu Dort ($18.2 million), both of whom have team options for the same amount in 2026-27. However, the Bucks would presumably want one of Chet Holmgren or Jalen Williams, both of whom signed five-year, $240.7 million max extension this past offseason.

Since those extensions don’t kick in until next season, the poison-pill provision would make that tricky. Their outgoing salaries for the Thunder would just be their current salary, but their incoming salaries for the Bucks would be the average of their current salary and their extension, which is $40-plus million.

If the Thunder fall short of repeating this season and the Bucks decide to wait on a Giannis trade until the offseason, perhaps OKC will be a more realistic suitor. But if the Bucks decide to flip Antetokounmpo by the Feb. 5 trade deadline, the Thunder could have a tough time topping other offers even though they have the league’s most robust collection of draft picks.

6. Portland Trail Blazers

The Blazers’ ability to land Antetokounmpo could come down to one factor: Are they willing to part ways with Deni Avdija to get him?

Avdija already began breaking out toward the end of the 2024-25 season, and he carried that right over to this year. He’s averaging a career-high 25.8 points, 7.1 rebounds and 6.2 assists per game while shooting 47.4% overall and 37.4% from three-point range. At this point, it would be shocking if he didn’t earn his first All-Star nod this season.

Avdija is also on one of the NBA’s best-value contracts. He’s earning only $14.4 million this year—barely more than the $14.1 million non-taxpayer mid-level exception—and his contract drops to $13.1 million next year and $11.9 million in 2027-28. Whichever team he’s on by then will likely have to renegotiate his contract to convince him to sign an extension, but that’s a problem for a later date.

Shaedon Sharpe and Toumani Camara are both poison-pilled after signing extensions with Portland this past offseason, and Scoot Henderson hasn’t shown enough in his two seasons to convince Milwaukee that he’s a blue-chip prospect. The Blazers would have to package Jerami Grant ($32.0 million) with Avdija for salary-matching purposes, although they are roughly $7.9 million below the first apron, so they could take back more salary than they send out in a trade without running into the hard cap.

7. San Antonio Spurs

The thought of pairing Antetokounmpo with Victor Wembanyama should terrify the rest of the NBA. It’s a legitimate possibility, particularly after the Spurs jumped up to the No. 2 overall pick in the 2025 draft, which they spent on Rutgers guard Dylan Harper.

The Spurs could offer either Harper or Stephon Castle, the reigning Rookie of the Year, if the Bucks wanted a blue-chip prospect in an Antetokounmpo trade. If the Bucks instead prioritize staying afloat since they don’t have their next few first-round picks, the Spurs could offer All-Star point guard De’Aaron Fox ($37.1 million) as the main prize of their trade package.

Regardless of which route the Spurs take, they have plenty of salary filler to throw in between Devin Vassell ($27.0 million), Harrison Barnes ($19.0 million), Keldon Johnson ($17.5 million) and Kelly Olynyk ($13.4 million). They’re also $10.0 million under their first-apron hard cap, so they could take back more salary than they sent out if needed.

According to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line, “there has been little indication to date” that the Spurs would be willing to part with Harper or Castle, even for a star such as Antetokounmpo. Perhaps the Spurs believe a slow-and-steady build around Wembanyama, Castle and Harper will position them as the next great team once the Thunder begin to shed talent, but the upside of a Wemby-Giannis pairing is hard to ignore.

8. Toronto Raptors

The Raptors have spent the better part of the past decade lusting after Antetokounmpo. Will that change now that former team president Masai Ujiri is no longer with them?

At 15-8, the Raptors have been one of the best surprises through the first quarter of the 2025-26 season. Brandon Ingram has fit like a glove with them, while Scottie Barnes is shooting a career-best 51.5% overall. However, it remains unclear whether Barnes or Ingram can be the best player on a legitimate championship threat.

Would the Raptors be willing to give up Barnes if it landed them Antetokounmpo? What if it also cost them starting center Jakob Poeltl ($19.5 million) or their last two lottery picks, Collin Murray-Boyles ($6.3 million) and Gradey Dick ($5.0 million)?

The Raptors do have all of their first-round picks moving forward, so like Detroit, they could offer as many as four first-rounders and three-first round swaps. They also have at least six second-round picks that they could sweeten their offer with.

The Raptors might not be the favorites to land Antetokounmpo, but they proved with Kawhi Leonard in 2018 that they aren’t afraid to take a gamble on a possible rental. Could history repeat itself again with the Greek Freak?

Unless otherwise noted, all stats via NBA.com, PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass or Basketball Reference. All salary information via Spotrac and salary-cap information via RealGM. All odds via FanDuel Sportsbook.

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