Why Milwaukee Bucks Made Choice to Not Trade Giannis Antetokounmpo

The Greek Freak is still on the roster despite rumors circulating before the trade deadline.

Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo reacts in the fourth quarter against the Phoenix Suns. | Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

The Milwaukee Bucks held a lot of cards at the trade deadline with Giannis Antetokounmpo being floated around in rumors.

Teams expressed interest and negotiated with the Bucks, but there was never a deal that came close to getting done. Therefore, Antetokounmpo will remain with the Bucks for the rest of the season, and trade talks will resume once the summer starts. Some members of the Milwaukee Bucks On SI staff explained why they felt the decision to keep Giannis Antetokounmpo was good or bad.

Ethan J. Skolnick

A final assessment can't be made until the summer, when the outcome will be known -- whether the Bucks somehow convince Giannis Antetokounmpo to stay (which seems their intention still) or whether they can get more from a suitor than was available now. Especially if a West contender like the Thunder or Spurs or Rockets or Lakers is disappointed with its playoff performance and joins the Heat and Timberwolves in the Giannis chase.

The answer is likely that they made the prudent choice, just to keep those options open. The only real risk is Giannis re-injury, so they need to manage that, which means managing his ego and getting on the same page as far as shared goals.

Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo reacts after scoring. | Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

Jeremy Brener

If the Bucks are going to trade Giannis, they need an absolute haul to set themselves up for success down the line. They weren't going to get that in a rushed trade deadline situation. But cooler heads may prevail in the summer when teams are more desperate to fill a championship window.

It was smart to wait for a potential trade because offers will likely improve in the summer from teams that fall short of a title. Look for teams like the Minnesota Timberwolves, New York Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers to remain interested.

Major Passons

It’s hard to say a team did the wrong thing by keeping a top 3 player in the league, especially one that did not formally request to be traded. The risk is that they could worsen their pick this year and then still lose Antetokounmpo in the offseason when he would be an expiring and have more leverage in where to go. Though I will say, championships don’t go to the scared teams and if the Bucks are able to keep Antetokounmpo long term by improving the roster in the offseason they just might be rewarded with one.