Giannis Antetokounmpo staying in Milwaukee through trade deadline
The NBA trade deadline comes to an end on Thursday afternoon and one of the biggest targets in the market is staying put until the end of the season.
The Milwaukee Bucks have been in a limbo with their All-Star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo for weeks if not months, but it seems like the franchise that drafted the Greek Freak will be hanging on to him a little while longer.
Giannis staying a Buck
The Bucks informed teams that they are keeping Antetokounmpo through the trade deadline which ends at 3:00 p.m. ET on Thursday. There were reports of the Bucks listening to offers from the Golden State Warriors, the Miami Heat and the Minnesota Timberwolves, but those teams hopes for landing Giannis have ended with today’s announcement.
ESPN´s Shams Charania reported that Giannis was open to the possibility of finding a new home for the last few months, during the trade deadline or after the season comes to and end, and now it seems that the Greek will have to wait until the end of the season to look for a new team and a new home.
As it looks, Giannis won’t be leaving anytime in the near future, which leaves him a bit more influence over a potential move in the summer time considering he has player option for the 2026-27 season coming up on October 1st. That would mean there would be just one more guaranteed year on his current deal.
Can Milwaukee build team around Giannis?
Now that the Bucks have stated their intent to keep Giannis at least for the next few months, they now switch from looking for the best kick back in a potential deal to building a team that can compete around Antetokounmpo. They are currently sitting 12th in the Eastern Conference, and would need to make before mid day on Thursday.
The Bucks have had some movement, over the last few hours sending Cole Anthony and Amir Coffee to Phoenix for Nick Richards and Nigel Hayes-Davis.
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