Tank time?: Giannis Antetokounmpo reportedly could be shut down by Bucks

The Milwaukee Buck's season is toast and a resolution to Giannis's trade rumors will be known by 3:00 PM Eastern. But if Giannis stays in Milwaukee past the deadline, ESPN's senior insider Brian Windhorst doesn't believe it will be to play.

“If he’s not [traded], What I suspect is going to happen, is the Bucks are going to deactivate Giannis and have him not play the rest of the season. Their future now is highly dependent on their draft pick and Giannis avoiding injury. And they got to protect those legs. I want to know how Giannis is going to feel about potentially being shut down for the season.”
Brian Windhorst

Brian Windhorst on Giannis Antetokounmpo:

“If he’s not [traded], What I suspect is going to happen, is the Bucks are going to deactivate Giannis and have him not play the rest of the season. Their future now is highly dependent on their draft pick and Giannis avoiding injury.… pic.twitter.com/S51TqMemT8
— Heat Diehards (@HeatDiehards) February 5, 2026

Now this would be the right choice for the Buck's. Not only to keep Giannis healthy but in improving their chances at a lottery pick this season as they have a swap with the Atlanta Hawks.

Meaning Milwaukee receives the worse option of the two picks, yet tanking gives them the best opportunity at ensuring that pick is still a quality one.

It then also ensures that Giannis is healthy for a potential trade, or in the off chance he stays.

But how would Giannis feel?

As Windhorst noted, he wants to know how Giannis would feel. And as a competitor, and a recent report from Ramona Shelburne suggest, it could lead to tension between Giannis and Milwaukee.

I wrote more about that below.

Giannis and the Bucks are at a crossroads

Should the Bucks make that decision, it will be interesting to see if Giannis finally makes the request that is likely holding a trade back in the first place.

Milwaukee knows more teams will be in the running this Summer, and that other teams offers improve, with that said, Giannis also gains leverage come Summertime.

Giannis is playing at an elite level

Regardless of the rumors and the eventual decision, it goes without saying how good Giannis has been this season. He is averaging 28 points, 10 rebounds, and 5.6 assists while shooting 64.5 percent from the field and 39.5 percent from three. His defense is at an elite level and when he plays, he continues to carry this terrible Bucks roster to victories, noted by their 15-15 record when he plays.

By the end of the day, we will know if Giannis will be in Milwaukee past the deadline, but it's still plausible that he has played his last game as a member of the Milwaukee Bucks'

But how would Giannis feel?

Giannis is playing at an elite level

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