The New Orleans Pelicans, Toronto Raptors, Brooklyn Nets, New York Knicks and Golden State Warriors could trade for Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, according to NBA insiders Zach Lowe and Ramona Shelburne. Each of those teams have a combination of young players and valuable draft picks available that could be packaged in the kind of trade it would theoretically take to land Antetokounmpo.
Antetokounmpo recently admitted that he would leave the Bucks if there’s a better situation to win an NBA championship. Milwaukee won the 2021 title over the Phoenix Suns but lost in the second round of the 2022 playoffs to the Boston Celtics and fell to the Miami Heat in the first round of the 2023 playoffs.
Antetokounmpo doesn’t want to spend his entire NBA career with the Bucks and not win another championship. The future Hall of Famer told NBA reporter Tania Ganguli of The New York Times that he will not sign an extension this year. The two-time MVP is eligible for a contract extension right now.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: New Orleans Pelicans, Toronto Raptors, Brooklyn Nets, New York Knicks, Golden State Warriors, Milwaukee Bucks, Giannis Antetokounmpo Updates
“The real question’s not going to be this year — numbers-wise it doesn’t make sense,” Antetokounmpo said. “But next year, next summer it would make more sense for both parties. Even then, I don’t know.”
Antetokounmpo added: “I would not be the best version of myself if I don’t know that everybody’s on the same page, everybody’s going for a championship, everybody’s going to sacrifice time away from their family like I do. And if I don’t feel that, I’m not signing.”
The Bucks signed Antetokounmpo to a five-year, $228.2 million designated maximum contract extension in December 2020. The NBA icon will make $45.6 million next season.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: New Orleans Pelicans, Toronto Raptors, Brooklyn Nets, New York Knicks, Golden State Warriors, Milwaukee Bucks, Giannis Antetokounmpo Updates
One of the greatest players in NBA history, Antetokounmpo has career averages of 22.6 points, 9.6 rebounds and 4.7 assists. He has won the Most Improved Player of the Year Award, two regular-season MVPs, one Finals MVP and one Defensive Player of the Year Award with the Bucks.
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