Giannis Antetokounmpo Trade Rumors: Ranking the Top 5 Landing Spots

On Friday morning, The Athletic's Sam Amick and Eric Nehm wrote a long-feature article about the current state of the Giannis Sweepstakes.

With one of the best players in the world available for trade, the Milwaukee Bucks have to be patient and listen to every single offer that comes their way before rushing to agree to a trade.

As of now, the five teams with reported interest in Giannis are the: Boston Celtics, Miami Heat, Minnesota Timberwolves, Orlando Magic, and the Portland Trail Blazers.

Each team has a lot to offer the Bucks, but it is so important that Milwaukee lands the deal that is best for them and their future. Because of his longevity with the franchise, Giannis might be able to have some say in where he is traded. However, this is a business decision at the end of the day and the Bucks have to prioritize their franchise over their cornerstone player.

Out of the five teams to have interest in Giannis, here is how I would rank them based on what is best for the Bucks.

1. Portland Trail Blazers

Giannis Portland — Jan 4, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Portland Trail Blazers forward Toumani Camara (33) drives for the basket against Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) in the first quarter at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images | Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

The biggest hurdle for the Trail Blazers is getting Giannis to agree to a long-term extension with the franchise after this season is over. With Giannis' former teammates and close friends Jrue Holiday and Damian Lillard on the roster, there is familiarity and a proven track record of success.

The Bucks would love to make a deal with Portland because they have everything you're looking for in a trade. They have control of the Bucks picks in 2028, 2029, and 2030. Two swaps and an unprotected pick. Milwaukee would clearly want those back if Giannis were to be dealt there.

Portland also has a slew of young players including: Shaedon Sharpe, Deni Avdija, Scoot Henderson, Toumani Camara, and Donovan Clingan. Of course the Bucks won't get all of the Trail Blazers talent, but even getting two of these players with those picks back is better than anything anyone else can offer.

According to Amick and Nehm, Portland is viewed more as a third-team than a team that will get Giannis outright.

2. Boston Celtics

Jaylen Brown is single-handedly the best asset the Bucks can get back in any Giannis trade. Reports from multiple outlets have said that the Celtics are willing to include Brown in any trade for Giannis, and this comes after one of Brown's best year's in the league.

The Celtics still have future picks they can include in the deal, but with including Brown in the deal they should be careful on what picks they include. For Milwaukee, the Bucks can either build around Brown, or find a third team to trade him to and pickup the young players and assets from them.

Rumors are that the Trail Blazers would be the best suitor for Brown, and as I mentioned above, it's because of the many assets the Bucks want back in trade. Brown fits the Trail Blazers timeline better, and the three-team deal makes the most sense for all parties involved.

3. Miami Heat

Giannis Miami — Mar 12, 2026; Miami, Florida, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) drives to the basket against Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo (13) during the first quarter at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Miami is the most desperate of all the teams trying to trade for Giannis, but they can only offer so much that doesn't compete with what Boston and Portland have.

Miami's offer is three first-round picks, Tyler Herro, Kel'el Ware, Nikola Jovic, Jaime Jaquez Jr., and Kasparas Jakučionis. This is a strong offer from the Heat, giving up the majority of their young players, a lottery pick in this year's draft, draft picks that are way down the line that will be past the Giannis Heat Era, and flexibility cap wise with Herro expiring.

The Bucks can also ship these players out in other deals to get back different assets for the team, but there is no superstar to trade nor are there any picks that Milwaukee has sent out coming back. This is a really compelling offer, but not the best.

4. Orlando Magic

Giannis MAgic — Mar 8, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) drives against Orlando Magic forward Franz Wagner (22) in the first half at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Michael McLoone-Imagn Images | Michael McLoone-Imagn Images

Orlando is an interesting team because they do have young forwards that the Bucks could build their team around in Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner. There have been conflicting reports on what the Magic would be willing to part with, but they have a good base to build with.

Wagner has been more injury prone than Banchero, which could be a factor for Milwaukee. Also, the Magic need to take into account who fits best around Giannis: Banchero or Wagner? You can make the case for both, but Wagner is a better floor spacer and floor general. Personally, I think the Bucks would be better off with Wagner, but either way, the Magic sent multiple picks to the Grizzlies for Desmond Bane last offseason which makes their offer less appealing.

If Milwaukee were to include Kuzma or Portis in the deal and were able to get back a Jalen Suggs, that would potentially be better than pick swaps. Allowing Suggs to flourish in a new system with a better offensive minded coach could help unlock his game. Then Milwaukee can decide if Suggs is worth building with, or trading for younger assets. This gives them potential to do more than a few swaps would.

5. Minnesota Timberwolves

Jan 13, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) drives for the basket against Minnesota Timberwolves forward Julius Randle (30) in the first quarter at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images | Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

According to Amick and Nehm, the Timberwolves have an intriguing trade offer in place for the Bucks but there could be some complications with it:

"If the Timberwolves want to get into the mix, league sources say the Bucks would want a package including Jaden McDaniels, Naz Reid, Terrence Shannon Jr. and their two tradable first-round picks (No. 29 in this year’s draft and their 2033 pick). Yet considering McDaniels’ immense value alongside Edwards as an elite perimeter defender, as well as his impressive postseason performance, team sources say Minnesota has indicated that McDaniels is off limits. Per those sources, the same goes for 19-year-old big man Joan Beringer."

This deal becomes so less serious for the Bucks if the Timberwolves are holding out two of their better young assets and only giving up one good pick in 2033. Naz Reid is an awesome complementary player, but if he is the centerpiece of a deal for a superstar like Giannis, John Horst hangs the phone up while laughing.

Minnesota wants to get a better team to build around Anthony Edwards, but the package has to be serious. They're rumored to have interest in Kyrie Irving and Giannis, and while that team sounds amazing on paper, it feels more like a fantasy than a reality. There is no way that the Bucks accept this offer with what the other four teams listed are rumored to include.

Final Thoughts

This is one of the biggest decisions the Milwaukee Bucks' franchise history. They cannot miss on this trade and they have to do what is best for their franchise moving forward. Giannis Antetokounmpo has been a terrific player for this franchise, but it is time to move on and start the rebuild.

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