The Milwaukee Bucks want to shut star Giannis Antetokounmpo down for the remainder of the 2025-26 season, but the two-time NBA MVP “has refused the team’s requests and wants to play again,” according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.
Giannis Antetokounmpo suffered a hyperextended left knee and a bone bruise after an awkward fall last Sunday, per Charania, and he will be re-evaluated next week. He also missed 15 games in January and February with a calf strain.
This part is speculation, but Antetokounmpo might be so adamant about returning this season because it could be the last chance Bucks fans have to see him play in a Milwaukee uniform. Charania reported in late January that Antetokounmpo had informed the Bucks months ago “that he believes the moment has come to part ways after 12-plus years together.”
Reports and rumors flew around the Feb. 5 trade deadline, but Antetokounmpo was not moved. Yet.
On Friday, ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne published a lengthy report looking into the Antetokounmpo trade saga. Shelburne was told by an anonymous NBA executive that the Bucks “didn’t want to move” Antetokounmpo during the season.
Shelburne also discovered what the Bucks’ asking price was around the deadline, as seen below:
“Multiple sources across the league said the Bucks’ asking price was enormous, with an executive from a third team describing the Bucks’ process as “gauging the market” and their price as “all our draft picks and good young players.”
The Golden State Warriors’ offer included four unprotected first-round picks in pursuit of Antetokounmpo, sources said, but never seemed to gain much momentum on a deal. The players the Bucks did seem interested in were younger building blocks such as VJ Edgecombe of the Philadelphia 76ers or Evan Mobley of the Cleveland Cavaliers, sources said.”
Antetokounmpo’s resume speaks for itself. The 10-time All-Star and nine-time All-NBA selection led the Bucks to their first championship in 50 years by scoring 50 points to defeat the Phoenix Suns in the 2021 NBA Finals. He also earned the 2021 NBA Finals MVP.
However, he is now over 30 and in the midst of the most injury-riddled season of his career. It will be fascinating to see whether Antetokounmpo finally publicly demands a trade and, if so, whether Milwaukee can maintain such a lofty asking price.
“He’s still a game changer, but he’s 31 with a history of leg injuries,” an anonymous source described as “a rival executive” told Shelburne. “And now, you’d basically be trading for a guy on an expiring deal, so I’m not sure the offers they’ll get this summer are going to be better than what they already got.”
In a career-low 36 games, Antetokounmpo has averaged 27.6 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 5.4 assists for the 28-41 Bucks.
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