The 2025-26 NBA season is quickly approaching, but one star has yet to make a decision about his future.
ESPN’s Shams Charania reported on Get Up on Monday that Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo is still weighing whether to stay with his current team or request a trade.
“We’re standing here, it’s Aug. 4. Sources tell me there’s still nothing set in stone about whether Giannis Antetokounmpo will stay in Milwaukee or whether he will be leaving,” Charania said. “And so, he’s going to continue to evaluate his future. I reported it in mid-May that he’s evaluating whether his best fit is in Milwaukee or is it elsewhere. And that process is continuing. There’s been some very real conversations over the past week or so. The constant question that Giannis has though is, ‘Can I win a championship with this roster? Is this roster going to be one for this upcoming year and 2026-2027?’ He wants to win a second championship. So, he’s asking that question over and over. There are multiple teams waiting in the wings, potentially, if Giannis this offseason still makes that decision. This is a very tough decision for him. This is 12 years he’s spent there. There’s a lot of equity there. He won a championship there. This type of move isn’t going to be easy because this is a Milwaukee Bucks organization, they went out and stretch-waived Damian Lillard, $113 million. They did that because they wanted to show Giannis, we’re doing everything in our power to keep you here. But Giannis Antetokounmpo is the ultimate decider whether he feels this roster is good enough.”
Charania also spoke about the matter on First Take:
Charania reported in May that Antetokounmpo was “open-minded” about playing for another team for the first time in his career, but the two-time MVP has not officially requested a trade.
He gave Bucks fans a good indication that he wasn’t going anywhere last month during a live stream with IShowSpeed.
“Probably. Probably, we’ll see. Probably, I love Milwaukee,” Antetokounmpo said when asked whether he will be with the Bucks this season.
If he does request a trade, it will shake things up late in the offseason as plenty of teams will be vying to get the star on their roster.
Until that happens, the Bucks will continue to try to appease Antetokounmpo in hopes of keeping him in Milwaukee.