Latest Info on Timberwolves' Aggressive Pursuit of Giannis Antetokounmpo

The NBA trade deadline is a little over 24 hours away, and Minnesota has emerged as one of the most aggressive teams in trying to land Antetokounmpo.

Jan 19, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) dribbles the ball down the court against the Atlanta Hawks during the fourth quarter at State Farm Arena. | Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images

We're now down to just over 24 hours remaining until the NBA trade deadline. More and more buzz continues to pour out of league insiders about the latest on the Giannis Sweepstakes and where the Timberwolves are in that pursuit. Here's a quick look at what NBA insiders have said as of late Wednesday morning.

Giannis would "welcome" a trade to Minnesota and would "be ready" to sign an extension

According to SI's Chris Mannix, the Timberwolves' aggressive approach to landing Giannis has drawn attention across the league and from the two-time MVP himself. Mannix notes that Antetokounmpo would "not only welcome" a trade to Minnesota, but would also be ready to sign a long-term extension.

However, the price for landing Antetokounmpo will be significantly high. Mannix reports that the Bucks want Jaden McDaniels in any deal with Minnesota. Milwaukee also reportedly wants "multiple first-round picks," something the Timberwolves are desperately short on at the moment. That has led Tim Connelly to reportedly be "canvassing the league" in search of teams to add to a trade package to land Antetokounmpo.

"The belief is Minnesota will have to get as many as four teams involved to make a deal work," wrote Mannix.

Notably, Mannix reports that numerous teams are also telling the Bucks not to move Giannis at the deadline because they can offer even better packages this summer. Mannix wrote that Minnesota "badly wants to get it done now" in order to avoid an all-out bidding war this summer.

Insiders watching Minnesota work the marketplace in order to improve their offer

ESPN's Brian Windhorst said on First Take on Wednesday morning that he's watching what the Heat and Timberwolves are doing in the marketplace as they try "to improve the offer that they can make to Milwaukee." However, there still remains healthy skepticism about whether the Bucks are even willing to deal Antetokounmpo at this point.

"But they may not want to do those other deals unless they know whether Milwaukee's actually going to make the move here," continued Windhorst. "This is the big thing. Milwaukee has listened, they've had some back-and-forth, but they haven't indicated that they're actually going to trade him."

Windhorst also notes that while Miami and Minnesota are working to improve their deals, the Warriors have put "everything that they can" on the table, while the Knicks are not actively trying to improve their offer — one that he says Milwaukee won't take. So it appears Minnesota is among the top three competitors to land Giannis.

The decision, with time ticking down on the clock, ultimately comes down to whether Bucks ownership is willing to go ahead and move on from Antetokounmpo. Windy noted that everybody is ready to move if that is the case.

"Giannis is ready to move," continued Windhorst. "These other teams are ready to move. There's ancillary pieces that teams are ready to move. Is Bucks ownership, in the next 24 hours, going to say, 'OK, let's move on from him now?' If that answer ends up being yes, you see this (trade)."

"I'm watching the Miami Heat and the Minnesota Timberwolves out there in the marketplace trying to improve the offer that they can make to Milwaukee [for Giannis]. ... The Warriors have put everything they can on the table."

—@WindhorstESPN has the latest on Giannis and the NBA… pic.twitter.com/P4jnqiHb52

— First Take (@FirstTake) February 4, 2026

Wolves aggressively pursuing Giannis, Heat pivoting from trade for Antetokuonmpo

Minnesota has emerged as the top destination for Giannis, if he were to be moved, according to ClutchPoints' Brett Siegel. The Wolves have reportedly been in constant communication with Milwaukee as they look to make a deal happen before Thursday's deadline, while they also do "everything they can" to gather more assets for a potential move.

More interestingly for Wolves fans, Siegel notes that there is growing doubt in league circles that Miami has enough to pull off a trade with the Bucks. Siegel reported that some league sources "insisted" that Miami has already pivoted to other trade options, which would seemingly leave the race down to just Minnesota and Golden State. Siegel wrote that the Warriors' offer, centered around numerous first-round picks and veteran players, hasn't been declined by Milwaukee yet.

Stay tuned.

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