Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo Still Evaluating Future in Milwaukee, Could Request Trade

Nine-time All-Star Milwaukee Bucks power forward Giannis Antetokounmpo could still demand a trade out of town this summer, after all.

According to a new report from ESPN's Shams Charania on "First Take," the two-time league MVP continues to evaluate his future options.

On the latest around Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks for @FirstTake: pic.twitter.com/o931Lih53V
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 4, 2025

“As we sit here on August 4, sources tell me there’s still nothing set in stone about whether Giannis Antetokounmpo wants to stay in Milwaukee or whether he wants to leave elsewhere,” Charania revealed.

Why Antetokounmpo would demand to be dealt now, instead of either before the draft (when teams had far more optionality and hadn't yet made their splashy trades or signed free agents) or after December 15 (when free agents signed this summer can be moved) is somewhat inscrutable. The field for his services has narrowed significantly.

"He's been evaluating his future this entire offseason. I reported way back in mid-May that he is open-minded about whether his best fit is in Milwaukee or [if it's] a trade elsewhere," Charania said. "And the one big question that is surrounding Giannis Antetokounmpo, that is surrounding his camp, is: can he win another championship? Is this Bucks roster built for this upcoming season, for 2026-27, for him to win another championship, his second championship? We know how bad he wants to do that."

More news: NBA Insider Shares Ominous Update on Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Bucks Future

"Only Giannis Antetokounmpo wants to make that determination, and clearly he wants to do it on his own time. I will say this: there are multiple teams that I know of that are literally waiting right now on what decision Giannis Antetokounmpo makes, waiting to see, does he actually hit the market? Training camps don't start till mid-September," Charania allowed.

There is a precedent for great players being traded beyond the first month of free agency but still during the summer. In fact, multiple future Hall of Famers have been dealt away late into the offseason, including an ill-fated now-ex-Buck.

"Kyrie Irving was traded to the Boston Celtics in August [2017] when he got moved, Damian Lillard was actually traded to Milwaukee in September [2023]," Charania noted. "So there are deals that happen late in summers."

Last season, Antetokounmpo averaged 30.4 points on 60.1 percent shooting from the floor and 61.7 percent shooting from the charity stripe, 11.9 rebounds, 6.5 assists, 1.2 blocks and 0.9 steals for the 48-34 Bucks, almost singlehandedly willing them to a top-5 playoff seed after Lillard went down with a scary blood clot issue late into the regular season.

Now that Lillard has been stretched and waived to recover from a debilitating Achilles tendon tear out of town (he signed with the Portland Trail Blazers), the Bucks' long-term upside has been dimmed a bit. Milwaukee signed talented ex-Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner using the cap space it created with the Lillard move, but Turner isn't an All-Star-caliber talent, merely an above-average starter at his position.

The Bucks did manage to snag former Orlando Magic point guard Cole Anthony and re-signed its own point guards Kevin Porter Jr. and Ryan Rollins to address Lillard's absence, but none of those players are anywhere near his pre-injury level.

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