I have good news for the Milwaukee Bucks fans who have grown to really dislike me over the past year or so: this will be the final “Giannis Antetokounmpo trade destinations” story I ever plan to write, or at least, while he’s still a member of the Milwaukee Bucks.
Since Damian Lillard tore his Achilles last spring, I have ranked the entire league as possible suitors twice, put out a smaller, 18-team ranking once, published three different sets of complete mock trades, and written countless other stories on individual rumors or the market conditions surrounding him. I am tapped out. This thing has dragged on long enough. I am willing to believe that if he doesn’t get traded this offseason, he is never going to get traded. If we’re still doing this dance in the regular season, I will leave the coverage up to one of my talented colleagues.
The 2026 NBA Draft is a bit more than a week away. The Bucks have said that they would like a resolution, one way or another, before the draft. At this stage, we can rule out a good chunk of the league. There’s no sense in wondering what sort of fit the Grizzlies might provide at this point. The reporting has centered around a small group of teams, but mystery teams have become a pretty frequent feature of star trades lately. We know the Bucks are capable of keeping moves like that quiet because nobody suspected them when they swooped in and landed Lillard three years ago.
So today’s rankings will cut out the fat. We’re ranking 12 teams. The top six have all been linked to Antetokounmpo through some degree of either reporting or informed speculation. The next six are plausible mystery suitors.
What makes a plausible mystery suitor? Teams need to check two boxes: they have to have a plausible path to the conference finals with Antetokounmpo, and they have to be able to put a better offer on the table before the NBA Draft than Miami, who has set the baseline with Tyler Herro, Kel’El Ware, Jaime Jaquez and a handful of first-round picks. If a team doesn’t check both boxes, they’re out. The Lakers, for instance, can only put three first-round picks on the table and would need Austin Reaves, who is inaccessible as a sign-and-trade chip until free agency, to top Miami. To get ahead of this one, no, I do not consider either the Thunder or Spurs to be viable mystery suitors at this time. Neither seems eager to do anything this drastic.
And so, for the final time, let’s rank possible homes for Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Top 50 NBA offseason trade candidates: Giannis Antetokounmpo leads a list filled with big names
Sam Quinn
The plausible mystery teams
12. Indiana Pacers
I’ll confess, I might be doing a bit of wishcasting here. The basketball fit would be incredible. Antetokounmpo would thrive in Indiana’s up-tempo offense. Tyrese Haliburton is perfectly happy functioning off of the ball in the half-court, which an Antetokounmpo point guard needs to be given how high he wants his usage to be. There’s a ton of shooting in place. Rick Carlisle is a mad genius who would probably find creative new ways to use him. There’s fun lore here in the bitterly contentious rivalry the Pacers and Bucks built during Antetokounmpo’s last few healthy seasons in Milwaukee.
The Pacers can trade three first-round picks: 2027, 2031 and 2033, along with swaps in even years. Pascal Siakam could likely net a meaningful return if the Bucks dangled him to a third team. It’s by no means the best package we’ll cover in this space, but it’s at least as promising as Miami’s, and the Pacers with Antetokounmpo would be a far better team than the Heat would. If Antetokounmpo is serious about winning and remaining in the Eastern Conference, only Boston makes more sense. Alas, a move like this is out of Indiana’s organizational character, and the bad blood that has built over the past few years doesn’t help. It’s not likely, but hey, a guy can dream.
11. Los Angeles Clippers
The No. 5 overall pick is among the most valuable assets the Bucks could feasibly target in an Antetokounmpo trade. It’s an awkward asset for the Clippers to hold. Their one, long-term asset is Darius Garland, and almost all of the top prospects in that range of the draft are point guards. In all likelihood, they take one and figure the rest out later. It’s a top-five pick. That’s not a bad problem to have.
But they still have Kawhi Leonard, and Garland would be a pretty solid third banana. If the Clippers put that pick and some of their other future draft assets on the table, they could match money using some of their less important salaries (Bogdan Bogdanović, Derrick Jones Jr., Brook Lopez, Isaiah Jackson) and put together one of the NBA‘s most impressive star trios. Would it be worthwhile? Not without an extension from Antetokounmpo, and his Eastern Conference preference makes one unlikely. Leonard and Garland are probably too risky from a health perspective to justify this anyway. Still, we’re talking about Los Angeles here, so the fact that they can make the trade warrants a mention in pretty much any superstar discussion.
10. Houston Rockets
The Rockets are our other “could do it, but should they?” mystery suitor. Their team isn’t really suited to Antetokounmpo. Either Alperen Sengun or Amen Thompson would presumably be the main piece going back to Milwaukee, but neither of them are particularly strong fits with Antetokounmpo, and whoever doesn’t get traded would remain as a key piece to play alongside him. Kevin Durant turns 38 before opening night. Is that really the co-star Antetokounmpo wants to hitch his wagon to? How will Fred VanVleet look after a torn ACL? Where is the supplementary shooting here?
The argument for Houston is essentially that they are a win-now team that lacks a true, “best player on a championship team” caliber of superstar. They should by all means continue to pursue that player, and they have the youth and draft capital to do so. Antetokounmpo probably shouldn’t be the one they land on, but he’s so talented that any team with the means to get him has to at least consider the idea. That they are a Western Conference team and therefore unlikely to earn an extension out of Antetokounmpo might make the decision for them.
9. Charlotte Hornets
Now we’re talking. The Hornets are the perfect fit on a number of levels. They need size, and Antetokounmpo is giant. He needs shooting, and they are one of the NBA’s best shooting teams. They need experience and Antetokounmpo is a champion. He needs youth to get him through the 82-game grind and Charlotte’s best players are all young. Charles Lee was an assistant in Milwaukee for years. The Hornets play in the Eastern Conference. This is our ideal mystery team.
The Hornets have the No. 14 and No. 18 picks in this month’s draft. They have 10 first-round picks in the seven drafts after 2026. They can do this primarily with picks. LaMelo Ball, Kon Knueppel and Brandon Miller need not be involved. The only two questions here: do the Hornets want to fast-forward and make a huge bet on an older, injury-prone player when they have the means to target safer bets? And does Antetokounmpo trust the youth here enough to sign an extension? If the answer to those questions are both “yes” then we have a deal.
8. Cleveland Cavaliers
If you were picking an ideal Antetokounmpo teammate, you’d land on someone like Donovan Mitchell. Antetokounmpo shouldn’t be his team’s primary late-game scorer. Khris Middleton was the shot-maker when the Bucks won it all in 2021. Yet Antetokounmpo wants to be the primary ball-handler most of the game. Few scorers cleanly check both boxes. Mitchell is one of them. The two of them might be the NBA’s best duo next season if they stay healthy.
The troubles are everywhere else. James Harden is a clunkier fit next to Antetokounmpo, even before you consider their feud. Jarrett Allen as a traditional center would be an iffy front-court partner. Could the Cavaliers swap him for Myles Turner in the deal? Who is playing perimeter defense here? Cleveland, to this point, has acted as though Evan Mobley is off of the table in trades. No Mobley, no Giannis. The Mitchell fit is tempting enough that Cleveland has to be in the conversation. but there are so many other questions that the Cavaliers falling out of the equation after some reported deadline discussions isn’t all that surprising.
7. Brooklyn Nets
Don’t bother thinking about fit. It’s not in the equation. The Nets, for Antetokounmpo’s purposes, are not yet a team. They are a blank slate. They made five first-round picks last year, have the No. 6, 33 and 43 picks this year, and then have 13 first-round picks between 2027 and 2033. They can create around $48 million in cap space easily and potentially more through trades. The only obvious Antetokounmpo fit currently on the roster is Michael Porter Jr.
The idea here would be that the Nets could get Antetokounmpo with picks and then work with him on shaping the roster into whatever he wants it to be. If there’s another star he wants them to target, they could afford to get him basically anyone on the market. At this stage in his career, Antetokounpo probably shouldn’t be starting from scratch, but hey, he was interested in New York’s other team. If the Knicks are off the table, the Nets at least satisfy his geographic preference.
The likeliest outcomes
6. Golden State Warriors
The reporting surrounding Golden State has slowed down significantly since the trade deadline, when they were among the most aggressive suitors. There are a lot of reasons why Antetokounmpo wouldn’t want to play for Golden State. The Warriors are old. They are injury-prone. They are thin. They are in the Western Conference. Kevin Durant got quite a bit of criticism for linking up with Stephen Curry, and that’s criticism Antetokounmpo may want to avoid.
If he doesn’t, there’s a fairly clean trade to be made here built around Golden State’s future draft capital. The rumors surrounding LeBron James could potentially make the Warriors more appealing, at least in the short term. A team built around Curry, Antetokounmpo, James, Draymond Green and Kristaps Porziņģis would be terrifying in a seven-game series if it could just survive long enough to get there. The long-term outlook is bleaker, and if that’s a dealbreaker, the Warriors are out. But the Warriors are aggressive, they have the ammunition to do it and they’re in a major market. A deal is not out of the realm of possibility.
5. Orlando Magic
The Magic have always been a notable sleeper here. Paolo Banchero could give the Bucks a young replacement star for Antetokounmpo, and the Magic had fit issues to deal with between him and Franz Wagner anyway. While Wagner’s inconsistent shooting wouldn’t be ideal next to Antetokounmpo, Desmond Bane would be a perfect fit. Wendell Carter Jr. can at least shoot a bit at center. Pair those four players with Jalen Suggs, and the Magic would have a monster defense. The Magic could use Anthony Black as a trade chip now to avoid having to negotiate an extension with him later in the offseason. Orlando is so capped out that consolidation makes a ton of financial sense.
And then they hired Sean Sweeney as their head coach. Sweeney was on Jason Kidd’s staff in Milwaukee for the early years of Antetokounmpo’s career, and the two of them were reportedly close. The Magic were already run by Jeff Weltman and John Hammond, both of whom worked for Milwaukee when Antetokounmpo was drafted. If Giannis is willing to put his trust in people that he knows and assume they’ll be able to figure the basketball fit out later, there’s a workable trade here. There has been plenty of speculation about a deal since Sweeney was hired, but to this point, no firm reporting that the Magic are in the mix.
4. Minnesota Timberwolves
Tim Connelly has taken more big swings than almost any other general manager in the NBA. One way or another, the Wolves need one. Anthony Edwards fits with Antetokounmpo for many of the same reasons Donovan Mitchell would. There was reporting at the deadline suggesting that Antetokounmpo would be interested in Minnesota.
The Athletic recently reported that the Timberwolves are holding Jaden McDaniels and Joan Beringer out of trade talks. This isn’t Connelly’s first rodeo. There’s no deal without McDaniels. But this is still valuable posturing. The harder Minnesota resists on McDaniels, the likelier it will be that they could at least keep Naz Reid, the sort of shooting big man that is absolutely vital next to Antetokounmpo, out of the deal.
There are real supporting cast questions here. The Wolves don’t have a point guard. Julius Randle and Rudy Gobert are odd fits. Donte DiVincenzo has a torn Achilles. There would have to be more changes here, and everyone involved would have to accept that this is as all-in as it gets. If they get Antetokounmpo and don’t make the Finals, they are in real danger of losing Edwards in a few years for many of the same reasons the failed Lillard trade ended the Antetokounmpo era in Milwaukee. This is all or nothing. Are the Wolves prepared to roll those dice?
3. Portland Trail Blazers
Aside from perhaps the Spurs or Thunder, Portland is probably Milwaukee’s preferred trade partner. The Blazers have everything the Bucks could want: young players at several positions and control over Milwaukee’s draft picks between 2028 and 2030. Jerami Grant is easy enough salary filler. Portland has two pretty notable former Antetokounmpo teammates in Lillard and Jrue Holiday, though they’re older. Deni Avdija is a more notable present co-star. Portland has reportedly been in the mix both at the deadline and this offseason.
If Antetokounmpo is willing to extend with the Blazers, it’s a wrap. The Blazers, at least among the teams known to be involved, have the best offer. But Portland was just a Play-In Tournament team. Lillard and Holiday are getting older. Portland is in the Western Conference and about as far away from both Milwaukee and Greece as NBA markets get. Tom Dundon is a new owner who hasn’t exactly made a strong first impression around the league. Getting Giannis to agree to stay in Portland is going to be an uphill climb. Maybe the Blazers are comfortable taking a chance on a rental, but in all likelihood, it will take some aggressive recruiting on Lillard and Holiday’s part to make this happen.
2. Boston Celtics
Boston is probably one of the two teams that probably doesn’t have to worry about securing an extension. They’ve been the most consistently well-run and competitive Eastern Conference team for the past decade. Antetokounmpo has publicly praised Joe Mazzulla. Boston’s interest makes plenty of sense as well. The Celtics have lived by the 3 for years. Lately, that has meant dying by the 3. Brad Stevens has openly discussed the team’s need to diversify the offense by adding some rim-pressure. Nobody provides more of it than Giannis. He’d be the ideal Celtics addition.
The questions here are whether or not Boston would trade Jaylen Brown (there’s no deal without him), and what sort of package they could get for him in a three-way deal. Really, the bulk of the asset value going to Milwaukee would come from that third team, and Atlanta, Portland, Houston and New Orleans have all been linked to Brown. Any one of those teams has the capacity to send the Bucks more than Miami can, so assuming a satisfactory multi-team deal could be negotiated, Boston has a path to sealing this deal. They just aren’t as desperate as Miami is. They don’t have to trade Brown in order to contend, so there is a real chance they deem the price of a deal too great and eventually elect not to make one.
1. Miami Heat
The Celtics might want Giannis. The Heat need him. They’ve spent four years in the Play-In Tournament. Without him, that’s where they’ll stay next season. Miami has spent years trying and failing to trade for a superstar to bring them back into contention. Antetokounmpo is reportedly interested in joining the Heat. This is their moment.
Their offer is underwhelming. Let’s not mince words here. When you get a handful of draft picks you tend to prefer that they don’t come from a historically competent organization. Kel’El Ware is a nice young prospect but far from a sure thing. Tyler Herro can’t defend in the playoffs. Jaime Jaquez is a fine sixth man. Individually, you’d be happy to have any of those things. They’re not suitable Giannis replacements. They’re just what Miami is willing and able to give up.
I say “willing” because, notice, there are no serious “well, could Boston get Giannis without giving up Jaylen Brown or Jayson Tatum?” conversations. It’s understood that they’d have to give up something real. But Miami isn’t willing to give up Bam Adebayo and has nothing else especially valuable to offer. Even if they would give up Adebayo, they’d have nothing left to entice Antetokounmpo with. They’re just hoping nobody beats their spare parts.
And you know what? There’s a world in which that happens. Probably the likeliest one, all things considered. If Antetokounmpo is picky about who he’s willing to extend with, the Heat just have to hope that Boston can’t or doesn’t construct the right multi-team deal and that nobody is willing to pay top dollar for a rental. That’s less than a 50-50 proposition, but they seem to have the edge over any individual team in the field. For now, all they can do is wait and see if anyone outbids them.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login