'I’m by the hundred percent sure': Kendrick Perkins says Giannis Antetokounmpo likely gone from Bucks

Speculation swirled around Giannis heading into the 2025 offseason, fueled by Damian Lillard’s Achilles injury in the first round of last year’s playoffs. With Lillard sidelined, many saw Milwaukee’s title hopes take a hit, raising questions about whether Antetokounmpo, whose goal has always been another NBA championship, might consider leaving.

“I believe that he’s given the Bucks an opportunity right now, probably before he goes public. Now, if you ask me this a week ago, before my guy Shams did his reporting today, I would’ve said, ‘Nah, Giannis gonna be in the Bucks uniform.’ You know why? Because they signed his brother Thanasis back. But that was a signing of desperation to say, ‘You know what, Giannis, here, we’re doing everything we possibly can,” Big Perk continued.

Bucks and Giannis Antetokounmpo split in the horizon?

The chatter died down when the Bucks brought back Giannis’ brother Thanasis , who missed the entire 2024-25 season with an injury, and cleared cap space by waiving Damian Lillard to sign former Pacers starter Myles Turner. Those moves seemed aimed at keeping the Greek Freak in Cream City.

Now, with Shams spilling the details, teams across the league are sure to pursue Antetokounmpo, and Perkins believes the Bucks need to actively weigh offers, as his exit looks increasingly unavoidable.

“If I’m the Bucks, I also believe that with this report coming, the Bucks’ phones are gonna be ringing shortly because we are talking about Giannis Antetokounmpo, in my opinion already a Top 5 greatest power forward to ever play the damn game of basketball, one of the most dominant basketball players to play, generational talent that is in the middle of his prime. The phone is ringing. I do not expect Giannis Antetokounmpo to be in a Bucks uniform by the end of the season,” Perkins continued.

Many analysts expect the Knicks to make a deep playoff run under new coach Mike Brown. If Antetokounmpo opts to join New York, he could instantly turn the team into a championship contender.