Bucks Feared Giannis Antetokounmpo Would Request Trade This Offseason: Report

Apr 29, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) shoots the ball while Indiana Pacers forward Pascal Siakam (43) defends during game five of the first round for the 2024 NBA Playoffs at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images | Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

The Bucks made every effort possible to keep star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo in town, from general manager Jon Horst flying all the way to Greece over the summer — as ESPN's Shams Charania reports — to committing over $100 million to sign center Myles Turner to a four-year deal.

The Bucks were in desperation mode after Antetokounmpo expressed concerns over the Bucks' ability to make a deep run in the playoffs and contend for an NBA championship once more. For three seasons in a row, the Bucks have exited in the first round of the playoffs with a total record of 4-12.

Antetokounmpo would like to return to the three-year stretch from 2019-21 that saw the Bucks in the Eastern Conference finals twice, one of which led to Antetokounmpo's first and only NBA title in 2021.

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While the Bucks have seemingly done enough to keep Antetokounmpo in town, signing his brother Thanasis to a one-year deal in addition to the previously listed moves, Charania reports that there was at one point a good chance Antetokounmpo took his talents to New York.

Multiple sources told ESPN that the New York Knicks were the only place Antetokounmpo wanted to play outside of Milwaukee.

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"The Bucks picked up the Knicks' call on Antetokounmpo, and the sides engaged in conversations for a window of time in August, league sources said, but the teams never got traction on a deal," Charania wrote for ESPN.

"The Bucks insisted to the Knicks that they preferred not to move Antetokounmpo, but those in Milwaukee believe New York did not make a strong enough offer to continue even discussing a trade," sources informed Charania. "It's unclear how the Bucks would have responded to an all-out chase by the Knicks."

Do the Bucks Have What It Takes for Another Championship?

Throughout the summer, Antetokounmpo has expressed his strong desire to win another championship, and when the star was in Greece, the Bucks feared he would make a formal trade request to pursue another ring.

"Antetokounmpo was continually asking himself, even after the Bucks' stunning release of Lillard to sign Turner: Can this roster truly compete for a title?" Charania wrote. "Antetokounmpo had serious questions and shared his feelings directly with Horst, league sources said."

All eyes will be on how Milwaukee performs for the first few months of the season, because an uninspiring performance could lead to an early exit for a potentially unsatisfied superstar.

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