A week before the Feb. 5 NBA trade deadline, Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo informed the team he was ready for a new home for the first time in his career.
ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that the Bucks were “starting to listen” to trade offers involving the franchise cornerstone. However, hours before Thursday’s 3 p.m. ET deadline, the Bucks indicated to other teams that they would keep Antetokounmpo.
Right after that, NBA insider Jake Fischer revealed that an executive told him Milwaukee was “never serious” about any trade talks involving Antetokounmpo.
"They were never serious," said one team executive who was discussing a Giannis Antetokounmpo trade with Milwaukee.
— Jake Fischer (@JakeLFischer) February 5, 2026
Antetokounmpo’s frustration with the team was at an “all-time high” as Milwaukee has a 20-29 record entering Thursday.
However, the Bucks are not going to trade Antetokounmpo away for anything less than a gauntlet offer, so there was no need to rush this deal.
Instead, the Bucks can wait for the summer, when more picks could be used for teams such as the Miami Heat.
The Golden State Warriors were a team commonly linked to a possible Antetokounmpo trade. However, those feelings changed when Golden State sent Jonathan Kuminga and Buddy Hield to the Atlanta Hawks for Kristaps Porzingis.
The Minnesota Timberwolves also had “moved on” from the Antetokounmpo trade talks early on Thursday. So, for now, Antetokounmpo will finish the 2025-26 NBA season with the Bucks, but it seems likely that trade discussions will ramp back up this summer.
