Report: Giannis Antetokounmpo only wanted to play for 1 team besides Bucks

Giannis Antetokounmpo recently admitted that he contemplated his future with the Milwaukee Bucks over the summer, but there may have been only one other team he was willing to play for.

In a story published on Tuesday, ESPN’s Shams Charania shared some details about how Antetokounmpo met with Milwaukee’s front office in May and voiced concerns about the direction of the team. Giannis expressed that he wanted the Bucks to explore potential trades, and the team has “fielded rampant interest” in its two-time NBA MVP.

While the Bucks discussed several different teams as potential suitors if Giannis were to push for a trade, Charania says there was really only one team on Antetokounmpo’s list outside of Milwaukee. That team was the New York Knicks.

The Bucks and Knicks reportedly engaged in discussions as recently as August, but there was never real progress toward a trade. Charania says the conversations fizzled out with the Bucks insisting they did not want to trade Antetokounmpo, but it seems like New York did not make a strong enough offer, anyway.

Antetokounmpo signed a supermax extension with the Bucks in 2023. He is under contract through the 2026-27 season and has a $62.8 million player option for 2027-28.

The Bucks chose to waive-and-stretch Damian Lillard this offseason in order to create flexibility to build a championship-caliber roster around Giannis. Milwaukee then made a big splash in free agency by signing veteran center Myles Turner. Still, Antetokounmpo was said to be unhappy with the way the Bucks handled the Lillard situation.

In an interview last week, Giannis admitted that he has thought about playing for a team other than the Bucks.

Giannis had another outstanding regular season this year with 30.4 points, 11.9 rebounds and 6.5 assists per game. He was even better in the playoffs with 33.0 points, 15.4 rebounds and 6.6 assists per game, but it was not enough for Milwaukee to win a series. The Bucks lost to the Indiana Pacers in five games in the opening round.