Giannis Antetokounmpo has been the target of trade speculation ever since the Bucks were ousted in the first round of the playoffs, but a rival general manager indicated that Milwaukee hasn’t been willing to discuss deals involving the two-time MVP.
Appearing Friday on ESPN Radio’s Houston affiliate (YouTube link, hat tip to Ben DuBose of Rockets Wire), Rockets GM Rafael Stone said he wasn’t able to make any headway on a major deal with the Bucks. League rules preclude Stone from commenting on specific players, but he responded to a question from the hosts about “the big man from Greece in Milwaukee.”
“I deal well with (Bucks general manager) Jon Horst, I really like him,” Stone said. “Jon was very clear that they weren’t doing anything. So that was that.”
Numerous stories have indicated that the Bucks don’t plan to pursue an Antetokounmpo trade unless he requests one. There have been multiple reports this summer that Antetokounmpo is still assessing his future in Milwaukee to determine if he can win a title there, but he hasn’t made any public comments to indicate that he wants out.
Antetokounmpo is currently focused on representing Greece in EuroBasket, which ends a couple weeks before the start of NBA training camps, so it’s probably too late in the offseason for him to ask for a trade. His current contract runs through the 2026/27 season, and he holds a $62.8MM player option for the following year.
Horst has been aggressively maneuvering to keep the Bucks in title contention in an effort to convince Antetokounmpo to stay. With Damian Lillard lost for next season with an Achilles tear, Horst waived and stretched the $112.6MM that Lillard had left on his contract for the next two years, creating enough cap space to sign center Myles Turner away from Indiana.
Horst also added Gary Harris, Jericho Sims and Cole Anthony through free agency and re-signed free agents Bobby Portis, Gary Trent Jr., Kevin Porter Jr., Ryan Rollins and Taurean Prince.