Bucks News: Giannis Antetokounmpo's Trade Future Could Hinge on Playoff Success

Although he helped lead the Milwaukee Bucks to an eight-game win streak and a solid 48-34 record to close out the season, Giannis Antetokounmpo will be facing the 50-32 Indiana Pacers as an underdog in the first round of the playoffs, four years removed from climbing the mountain and winning it all in 2021.

During the six games he played during Milwaukee's eight-game win streak, Antetokounmpo averaged 31.8 points on .607/.417/.725 shooting splits (no, that 3-point percentage is not a typo), 12.0 rebounds, 11.8 assists, 1.2 steals, and 1.0 blocks a night.

Giannis grows his legacy with a HISTORIC season 🤩

Highest FG% in a 30+ PPG Season EVER
Sixth-youngest player to 20,000 points
+11.8 On/Off Differential@OlSkool888 & @PointForwardPro analyze this historic run on a new episode of Hear District: https://t.co/gLaxjnullu pic.twitter.com/VyLIEotbat
— Bucks+ (@BucksPlusAudio) April 15, 2025

Kurt Helin of NBC Sports unpacks why Antetokounmpo's playoff run this season will be closely monitored by rival front offices.

"Antetokounmpo played at an MVP level this season, but despite that, the Bucks enter the playoffs on the road as the No. 5 seed, and they will be without Damian Lillard for at least the start of that series."

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Lillard was diagnosed with a right calf deep vein thrombosis (blood clot) in March, and per ESPN's Shams Charania will miss the beginning of the Bucks' postseason this weekend, at least.

Milwaukee Bucks star Damian Lillard (blood clot) will miss the start of the NBA playoffs, sources tell ESPN. Bucks play Game 1 of the first round against the Pacers on Saturday. Lillard has been sidelined since March 18, and doctors continue to monitor progress for clearance. pic.twitter.com/W8CqbSt3G1
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 15, 2025

Helin posits that a quick postseason exit for Antetokounmpo could prompt him to demand a trade out of town. Milwaukee is the only NBA home the 6-foot-11 superstar has ever known.

"If the Bucks fall to the Pacers in the first round (or, if they get to the second round and lose 4-1 to the Cavaliers), how frustrated does Antetokounmpo get?" Helin wonders. "Ask for a trade frustrated? That’s why everyone is watching his body language."

Last year, the Pacers upset the third-seeded Bucks in the first round, thanks in part to an injury that kept Antetokounmpo on the shelf for the entire six-game series, and to an ailment that sidelined Lillard for two contests.

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In 2023 (pre-Lillard), the eighth-seeded Miami Heat upset the top-seeded Bucks, with Antetokounmpo also grappling with an injury.

Milwaukee hasn't been out of the first round since the team's seven-game slog of a 2022 second round playoff series against the Boston Celtics.

If Antetokounmpo did hit the trade market, he'd be yet another big name changing zip codes in 2025. It's already been a calendar year of massive All-Star upheaval, with Luka Doncic, Jimmy Butler, Anthony Davis, De'Aaron Fox, Zach LaVine and Brandon Ingram all being flipped in 2025.

This season, the nine-time All-Star averaged 30.4 points, 11.9 rebounds, and 6.5 assists in his 67 healthy games.

More Milwaukee Bucks:

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