Three Giannis Antetokounmpo Trade Ideas That Would Land Him With The Atlanta Hawks

How could the Hawks land Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo?

Jan 19, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) steals the ball against Atlanta Hawks guard Dyson Daniels (5), guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker (7) and forward Jalen Johnson (1) during the fourth quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images | Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images

The Giannis Antetokounmpo sweepstakes may have officially begun.

According to ESPN's Shams Charania, Antetokounmpo is ready to find a new home, either before next week's trade deadline or during the offseason.

Two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo is ready for a new home at the Feb. 5 NBA trade deadline or in the offseason as several rival teams make aggressive offers to the Milwaukee Bucks for him, and the franchise is starting to listen, league sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/OejatbQjDy

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 28, 2026

This is going to be a week full of rumors and teams trying to position themselves to get in position to land one of the premier players in the NBA. The Hawks are going to be one of the teams mentioned as a possible destination for Antetokounmpo due to their young talent and because they possess the most valuable draft asset that any team can offer. The Hawks control the 2026 draft pick that is the most favorable of New Orleans and Milwaukee and that is something that will intrigue the Bucks.

What are some of the hypothetical offers that the Hawks could make for Antetokounmpo?

Note: CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert cannot be traded to a team aggregated with other players from their team because 2 months have not passed since they were traded for. Their outgoing salary cannot be combined with another one of their teammates to bring in a higher salaried player. This restriction expires after Mar 07, 2026.

Also, Portland owns future picks by the Bucks due to the Damian Lillard trade. Don't be surprised if they are frequently mentioned as a potential third team in any potential Giannis deal.

Let's break down three possible trade ideas for the Hawks to land Antetokounmpo.

1. Hawks send Kristaps Porzingis, Luke Kennard, Zaccharie Risacher, Asa Newell, and a 2026 1st round pick (less favorable between Utah and Cleveland), 2027 1st round pick (less favorable between New Orleans and Milwaukee top 4 protected), 2029 unprotected 1st round pick, 2029 2nd round pick (via CLE), unprotected 2030 1st round pick swap, 2030 2nd round pick, 2031 unprotected 1st round pick, and an unprotected 2032 1st round pick swap for Giannis Antetkounmpo, Gary Trent Jr, and Thanasis Antetokounmpo

This is what I think the offer would have to be like if the Hawks did not want to send out either the Pelicans/Bucks 2026 pick or Jalen Johnson.

There have been numerous reports that the Hawks consider the pick and Johnson untouchable and I think that is true right now. I think the pick could become available in the offseason if it lands outside the top three, but it would also be less attractive to Milwaukee.

With the Hawks not wanting to move either Johnson or the pick, they would have to overwhelm the Bucks with draft capital and some of their young talent. Risacher is a former No. 1 pick, Newell has shown flashes during his rookie season, and both Porzingis and Kennard expiring contracts. This deal would give the Bucks ample draft capital for the future and plenty of space. This would be the ideal situation for the Hawks.

This would be the Hawks preferred scenario, but it might not interest the Bucks enough from a player standpoint.

2. Hawks send Kristaps Porzingis, Luke Kennard, Zaccharie Risacher, Asa Newell, 2026 unprotected 1st round pick (most favorable of New Orleans or Milwaukee), 2027 1st round pick (least favorable of New Orleans or Milwaukee, top four protected), 2029 unprotected 1st round pick, 2029 2nd round pick (via CLE), and a 2032 unprotected 1st round pick for Giannis Antetkounmpo, Gary Trent Jr, and Thanasis Antetokounmpo

This is what a deal would look like if the Hawks opted to send out the 2026 Pelicans/Bucks pick. While the Hawks would of course love to not include either of that pick or Johnson, the Bucks are going to insist on one of them.

If the Hawks want Antetokounmpo badly enough, they might relent on not wanting to trade the pick. Even if they do, they will have to include more draft capital as well, though not as much as the scenario above.

3. Hawks send Jalen Johnson, Kristaps Porzingis, Luke Kennard, 2026 1st round pick (less favorable between Utah and Cleveland), 2027 1st round pick (least favorable of New Orleans or Milwaukee, top four protected), 2029 unprotected 1st round pick, and a 2032 unprotected 1st round pick for Giannis Antetokounmpo, Myles Turner, Gary Trent Jr, and Thanasis Antetokounmpo

This is a scenario is which the Hawks decide to send out Johnson instead of the Pelicans/Bucks pick. I think this is the least desirable of any of the three trade scenarios, but if the Hawks did want Antetokounmpo and Johnson became the sticking point, would the Hawks relent? I highly doubt and don't think Johnson is going anywhere, but this is what it would look like if they did.

In the end, I think the Hawks would be better suited to wait until the offseason to potentially make a move for Antetokounnmpo. That way, they could see where the draft selection ends up and reassess what they want to do with it.