Two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo is ready for a new home ahead of the Feb. 5 trade deadline, as several teams have made aggressive offers to the Milwaukee Bucks, who are starting to listen, league sources told ESPN on Wednesday.
Multiple teams have received a sense that the Bucks are more open than ever to Antetokounmpo offers between now and the deadline, league sources said. However, Milwaukee has indicated to interested teams that the organization is not in a rush to complete a move and is willing to navigate Antetokounmpo’s future in the offseason if its believed price point of a blue-chip young talent and/or a surplus of draft picks isn’t met, sources said. By waiting until the summer, the Bucks could also see which teams are able to offer more appealing draft picks in June.
Sources said Antetokounmpo has informed the Bucks for months that he believes the moment has come to part ways after 12-plus years together, making a trade increasingly possible. The Bucks, at 18-27 and 12th in the Eastern Conference, face significant questions about their future direction, which has led to open and honest conversations between the two sides.
Milwaukee is currently slated to have a lottery pick in the draft, possessing the less favorable of its own and the New Orleans Pelicans’ selection.