ESPN Insiders Reveal Surprising Giannis Antetokounmpo Bucks Trade Update
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ESPN Insiders Reveal Surprising Giannis Antetokounmpo Bucks Trade Update
ESPN Insiders Reveal Surprising Giannis Antetokounmpo Bucks Trade Update. The world waits with bated breath to see if the Milwaukee Bucks power forward will demand a trade away from the club he’s called home since his 2013-14 rookie season. The 6-foot-11 superstar, a two-time league MVP and one-time Defensive Player of the Year, is reticent to be dealt. He may never add a second championship to his resume if he stays in Milwaukee, through no fault of his own. A trade for his service could immediately make another club — with a healthier supporting cast — a legitimate title contender. The Bucks’ ceiling as a pseudo contender — even while armed with one of the best four players in the world — has effectively collapsed.
Although his postseason has long since ended, nine-time All-NBA Milwaukee Bucks power forward Giannis Antetokounmpo continues to lurk as the sleeping giant of league chatter.
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When nine-time All-Star Bucks point guard Damian Lillard tore his Achilles tendon during the Bucks’ eventual five-game first round playoff series loss to the Indiana Pacers, it appeared to signal the end of the Lillard-Antetokounmpo tandem as a realistic threat to compete for titles together.
Lillard could resemble his superstar self when he eventual returns from one of the NBA’s scariest injuries, yes, but there’s no guarantee that his two-time MVP teammate will still be around when does.
Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis AntetokounmpoBenny Sieu-Imagn Images
Now saddled with a devastating ailment, the 34-year-old Lillard will be virtually impossible to trade for value, meaning that Milwaukee could be saddled with the 6-foot-2 Weber State product as he recuperates.
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Without a clear route towards roster improvement in the immediate future, the Bucks’ ceiling as a pseudo contender — even while armed with one of the best four players in the world — has effectively collapsed. The world waits with bated breath to see if Antetokounmpo will demand a trade away from the club he’s called home since his 2013-14 rookie season.
During a mid-NBA Finals league roundup article on Friday, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst and Tim Bontemps have provided a surprising update on Antetokounmpo.
Windhorst and Bontemps write that, “as things stand today, the expectation is that Antetokounmpo will start next season as a Buck, sources told ESPN. To be clear, the emphasis is on today. There’s still a lot of road to be walked this offseason, and it’s hard to know exactly how everything will shake out.”
Last year, Antetokounmpo averaged a stellar 30.4 points, 11.9 rebounds and 6.5 assists in 67 healthy contests for the 48-win Bucks. A trade for his service could immediately make another club — with a healthier supporting cast — a legitimate title contender.
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It’s frankly a bit surprising that the 6-foot-11 superstar, a two-time league MVP and one-time Defensive Player of the Year, is reticent to be dealt. He may never add a second championship to his resume if he stays in Milwaukee, through no fault of his own.
Still, losing Antetokounmpo would prove devastating to the Bucks faithful, who have long enjoyed boasting one of the best players ever on their small market franchise.
Related: Timeline Revealed for Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo to Demand Trade
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 13, 2025, where it first appeared.
Insider drops massive update on Giannis-Knicks dream pairing
Giannis Antetokounmpo has been rumored to potentially be available for weeks now. It now appears unlikely that the Knicks, or any team for that matter, will be able to pry the nine-time All-NBA star from the Bucks. The news comes just one day after Ian Begley of SNY reported that he would be very surprised if the Knicks were to trade for Kevin Durant, one of the other big names that have been the center of trade rumors in the early weeks of the Knicks’ offseason. It is hard to think of a better pairing alongside Jalen Brunson.
ESPN insider Brian Windhorst, speaking on Get Up, reported, “Right now, there is no Giannis Antetokounmpo trade market, there is no Giannis Antetokounmpo trade discussions. He has not asked for it [a trade request]. The Bucks are not looking to trade him.”
The news comes just one day after Ian Begley of SNY reported that he would be very surprised if the Knicks were to trade for Kevin Durant, one of the other big names that have been the center of trade rumors in the early weeks of the Knicks’ offseason.
So, at least for now, if the Knicks’ intention is indeed to add a superstar-level talent to their roster, they will likely be looking away from Durant and unable to land Antetokounmpo.
The Giannis acquisition would be intriguing
It is easy to understand why fans would be clamoring for the Knicks to add Antetokounmpo. Outside of the obvious facts, like the former MVP award and the nine All-NBA selections, it is hard to think of a better pairing alongside Jalen Brunson.
Antetokounmpo is an elite defender. Unlike Karl-Anthony Towns, Brunson’s current All-NBA counterpart, Antetokounmpo would help insulate Brunson’s defensive deficiencies. Last season, he averaged 0.9 steals and 1.2 blocks per game, while posting a defensive Estimated Plus-Minus of +1.2.
He is also still a monster on the offensive side of the ball, averaging 30.4 points, 2.2 offensive rebounds, and 6.5 assists per game. In the playoffs this year, Antetokounmpo was doubled on 29.7 percent of his isolations, per league tracking data. For context, no other player who had at least 20 isolation possessions was doubled more than 10 percent.
That type of gravity would likely feel like a vacation for Jalen Brunson. At the same time, landing Antetokounmpo would strip down the Knicks roster to its bones. It would likely require trading Towns, one of OG Anunoby or Mikal Bridges, and another contract, possibly Miles McBride. In other words, the Knicks would be losing two of their starters and likely their best bench scorer.
Of course I am speaking in full hypotheticals at this point, as Windhorst reported, it does not seem Antetokounmpo is even available.
Shams Charania Claps Back at Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo Amid Trade Rumors
Shams Charania Claps Back at Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo Amid Trade Rumors. Charania is now the premiere breaking news insider for the network following the departure of his mentor-turned-rival Adrian Wojnarowski. The 6-foot-11 big man, still just 30, has accomplished a lot during his 12-year tenure in Milwaukee, including bringing the small market franchise its first title in 50 years in 2005. The two-time MVP has been making headlines for months as chatter builds that the nine-time All-NBA honoree could ask for a trade this offseason. He tweeted out a pointed dig, seemingly at Charania, on Wednesday, saying, “Does anyone else miss Wojnarowski?!” Charania has clapped back.
Milwaukee Bucks superstar power forward Giannis Antetokounmpo has been making headlines for months as chatter builds that the nine-time All-NBA honoree could ask for a trade this offseason.
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The 6-foot-11 big man, still just 30, has accomplished a lot during his 12-year tenure in Milwaukee, including bringing the small market franchise its first title in 50 years.
Now, with the club’s upside murky as nine-time All-Star point guard Damian Lillard looks to be sidelined for most of 2025-26 recuperating from an Achilles tendon surgery, speculation has run rampant that Antetokounmpo could demand a deal.
Credit: Michael McLoone-Imagn Images
ESPN’s Shams Charania, now the premiere breaking news insider for the network following the departure of his mentor-turned-rival Adrian Wojnarowski, recently suggested that the two-time MVP is weighing his options.
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Antetokounmpo, who may be second only to Kevin Durant as the NBA’s most-hilariously online superstar, tweeted out a pointed dig, seemingly at Charania, on Wednesday.
“Does anyone else miss Woj?!” Antetokounmpo said.
It sure seemed like he was criticizing Charania’s intel.
Now, Charania has clapped back.
During a morning appearance on ESPN’s “The Pat McAfee Show,” Charania was shown the offending tweet.
“I think we’re all good. I really believe me and Giannis ae all good. I did see that, and I’d like to say, I think we all in the industry really miss him [Wojnarowski]. I worked with him for two years, two-and-a-half years. And so I learned a lot. He was a great mentor to me… Made me better on a daily basis.”
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Charania and Wojnarowski were colleagues at Yahoo Sports, until Wojnarowski left for the Worldwide Leader in 2017. Charania later left for The Athletic, and eventually replaced Wojnarowski at ESPN when the latter ditched the reporting game to serve as the general manager for his alma mater, St. Bonaventure University.
“But I will say, I’ll just focus on what I can control,” Charania said. “At the end of the day, I very much trust my reporting. What I reported, let’s give everyone a debrief: I said, during the NBA Draft Combine week, that Giannis Antetokounmpo is open to exploring his best fits outside of Milwaukee. I didn’t say he had asked out.”
Per Reeves Weideman of The Intelligencer, Charania and Wojnarowski’s relationship soon turned adversarial, as they battled each other to be the first to break NBA stories. Wojnarowski appeared to foster a relationship with league front offices, while Charania’s focus was on connections to players and agents.
“And I 1000 percent stand by that reporting,” Charania added. “That week, there were a lot of conversations, I’ll just put it like that, in Chicago about his future with him [and] his representatives.”
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Related: ESPN Insiders Reveal Surprising Giannis Antetokounmpo Bucks Trade Update
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 13, 2025, where it first appeared.
Giannis Antetokounmpo Holds Unseen Power Over Kevin Durant’s Future as ESPN Insiders Issue Stern NBA Warning
Giannis Antetokounmpo and Kevin Durant set to make it one of the biggest off-seasons in a long time. No one can predict the nature of either of the 30 teams at the start of the 2025-26 season. The rumor mill is churning out ideas by the minute, despite neither of the conference finals being done yet. We potentially are going to see the most impactful off-season of the NBA week because the action is going to happen via the draft in the next few weeks. The NBA may see a remarkable domino effect when one of these superstars is traded. The Greek’s move will form a sort of ripple effect across the NBA will be eyeing his signature. The same goes for KD. But neither will come cheap, and teams know that. And there is precedence for the kind of Ripple effect such a move can have. For example, Jrue Holiday’s blockbuster move to the Celtics was only made possible due to multiple things – one of them being Damian Lillard’s move to Milwaukee.
The Greek’s move will form a sort of ripple effect across the NBA. Everyone will be eyeing his signature. The same goes for KD. But neither will come cheap, and teams know that. And there is precedence for the kind of ripple effect such a move can have. For example, Jrue Holiday’s blockbuster move to the Celtics was only made possible due to multiple things – one of them being Damian Lillard’s move to the Bucks.
“First up will be Giannis. Whether or not he leaves Milwaukee, that will be a big thing. Then after, and I really do think Kevin Durant’s going have to wait for Giannis because there’s going to be some teams that are interested in both… Two years ago, I would argue the biggest and most impactful trade that happened was Jrue Holiday going to Boston. We didn’t know that that was possibly gonna happen until Dame Lillard got traded to Milwaukee. So what I think you’re gonna see is a number of teams looking to aggressively either upgrade their rosters or offload money and the series of ripple effects from what could be a Giannis trade and then a KD trade could be wide ranging,” Windy said on ESPN.
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via Imago Feb 25, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) reacts after a play during the third quarter against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
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It’s basically all about Giannis being a hotter commodity than Durant. Durant’s advanced age and near-matching salary (Giannis on $45 million for the year, Durant on $48 million) might be a big problem for some teams looking to build world-class rosters for the foreseeable future. And the Greek has one thing KD doesn’t – the ability to be an exceptional two-way player. He can reshape a franchise’s ceiling overnight. Any team with the requisite young talent, draft capital, and willingness to part with both will at least enter exclusive discussions with Giannis first.
So it looks like Kevin Durant’s going to have to wait for Giannis Antetokounmpo to make a decision before he knows his own fate. But can you see how ridiculous this is? Back then, it was just Jrue Holiday and Damian Lillard. They’re future Hall of Famers in their own regards, but not at the same level as Giannis and KD. All of this may just lead up to what might be the most exciting off-season in a long time. And just to double down on it, this is exactly what Windy and Shams Charania think as well.
Giannis Antetokounmpo and Kevin Durant set to make it one of the biggest off-seasons
Are you ready for the off-season? It’s about to be wild. No one can predict the nature of either of the 30 teams at the start of the 2025-26 season. The rumor mill is churning out ideas by the minute, despite neither of the conference finals being done yet. But what really makes the off-season crazy is Windy and Shams thinking the same- it’s gonna be one for the history books.
“You could have a number of teams reacting to that with star players becoming available. Shams and I have talked about this. We potentially are going to see the most impactful week of the NBA off-season in the draft week. Not necessarily free agent week because the action is going to happen via trade around the draft in the picks,” said Windy to ESPN.
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“I think this off-season might be the craziest ever,” said Shams on The Pat McAfee Show.“Because I think what you have right now is — the parity of the league, it’s so thin right now. As far as the line of, you could win a championship, or you might be falling into the lottery.” If two reputed journalists say the same, we might as well get the popcorn ready.
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Giannis Antetokounmpo said that his sit-down chit-chat with the Bucks after the season’s conclusion will be the tell-all. So, Kevin Durant might have to sit tight for a bit. But regardless of how long he has to wait, the rest of the off-season will keep him on the edge of his seat.
Giannis Antetokounmpo posts strange reaction to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander being named 2024-25 MVP
Oklahoma City Thunder superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been confirmed as the NBA’s MVP for 2024-25. It is the first time he has won the award in his career, and he is the second Canadian to win the award, following Steve Nash. Giannis Antetokounmpo is a two-time MVP, winning in 2019 and 2020, and regularly features high up in the voting. The full results of the MVP Award were subsequently published, with Giannis finishing in third place.
Oklahoma City Thunder superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been confirmed as the NBA’s MVP for 2024-25.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been rewarded for his tremendous individual season by winning the MVP.
SGA edged strong competition from Denver Nuggets rival Nikola Jokic, who his team defeated 4-3 during the Western Conference semifinals.
Photo by Joshua Gateley/Getty Images
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander wins the MVP
The NBA MVP Award is applicable to the regular season only, in which Shai Gilgeous-Alexander registered an impressive 32.7 points per game, a career best.
It is the first time he has won the award in his career, and he is the second Canadian to win the award, following Steve Nash.
SGA’s success was largely applauded, although there was an odd response from former MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Giannis posted on X in response to ESPN insider Shams Charania revealing the confirmation of the award.
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He wrote: “What??!!!! Did shams got hacked no way this is true??!!”
Giannis Antetokounmpo’s comments were in reference to the stunned reaction to when Shams Charania broke the news of Luka Doncic’s trade to the LA Lakers.
The announcement Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had won the MVP was the complete opposite of a surprise, with rumored results leaked and also reported on.
There was a mixed reaction to Giannis comments, with one fan taking a dig at him, commenting: “Well, he is still in the playoffs.”
Another fan responded: “Giannis knows SGA isn’t the real MVP.”
“Bro everyone knew Sga was getting MVP,” added another, with Giannis’ joke falling flat.
Giannis Antetokounmpo is a two-time MVP, winning in 2019 and 2020, and regularly features high up in the voting.
The full results of the MVP Award were subsequently published, with Giannis finishing in third place.