Mar 22, 2025; Sacramento, California, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) reacts after scoring against the Sacramento Kings during the fourth quarter at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

ESPN Insider Names Kings a 'Risky' Giannis Antetokounmpo Trade Spot

Originally posted on Sacramento Kings on SI
By Logan Struck | Last updated May 12, 2025 5:41 PM ET

After 12 seasons, the Milwaukee Bucks and superstar forward Giannis Antetokounmpo could be splitting up. Antetokounmpo led the Bucks to a 2021 NBA championship, but the team has failed to make it past the second round of the playoffs since, including three consecutive first-round exits.

Antetokounmpo remains a top-four player in the world, at his worst, and will send the league into a frenzy if he is put on the trade block.

There are only a handful of teams with the assets to make an offer for Antetokounmpo, and every fan around the league is wondering the same thing: Can my team trade for him?

Two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo has not made any firm decisions, but for the first time in his career, he is open-minded about whether his best fit is remaining in Milwaukee – or playing elsewhere, league sources told ESPN.

Story on ESPN: https://t.co/2aTg3Bq8o3
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) May 12, 2025

For Sacramento Kings fans desperate for a superstar, they may have to wait a bit longer. The Bucks will likely demand one of the biggest trade returns in NBA history if they shop Antetokounmpo, and the Kings simply lack valuable assets.

ESPN's Bobby Marks outlined where each team in the NBA stands as a potential trade destination for Antetokounmpo, and he placed the Kings in the "risks outweigh the reward" tier.

"The Kings have two max players -- Zach LaVine and Domantas Sabonis -- under contract but have flexibility to take back money in a trade or use their $14.1 million exception in free agency. Sacramento, which has $163 million in salary committed to only eight players, is $24 million below the luxury tax and is in no danger of being in the first apron once its roster is filled out.

"The Kings are allowed to trade a maximum of four first-rounders (2026, 2028, 2030 and 2032) in the next seven years and can swap first-rounders in each season. Sacramento has four second-rounders available," Marks wrote.

Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

With the right pieces around him, Antetokounmpo is good enough to make any team competitive, but it still is not worth it for some franchises to throw everything they have to the Bucks to acquire him.

The Kings could potentially put together a trade package that could entice the Bucks, but it would likely include all of their tradeable draft picks, star center Domantas Sabonis, and maybe one of their young studs.

The Kings would likely be better off staying out of the Antetokounmpo sweepstakes and hoping he stays in the Eastern Conference, but with a hectic offseason likely coming, anything can happen.

This article first appeared on Sacramento Kings on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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