Timeline Revealed for Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo to Demand Trade originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
Nine-time All-Star Milwaukee Bucks power forward Giannis Antetokounmpo enjoyed yet another superlative individual season in 2024-25.
In his 67 healthy contests for the 48-34 Bucks, the 6-foot-11 big man averaged 30.4 points on 60.1 percent shooting from the field and 61.7 percent shooting from the free throw line, 11.9 rebounds, 6.5 assists, 1.2 blocks and 0.9 steals a night.
But chatter has reached a boiling point of late, as the 30-year-old saw Milwaukee fall in the first round of the playoffs for the third straight season, and watched as nine-time All-Star Bucks point guard Damian Lillard suffered a torn Achilles tendon in the postseason that could knock him out for most or all of 2025-26.
Lillard, 34, was already far beyond his All-NBA prime. Although he remained a solid scorer and ball handler, the Weber State product’s porous defense was always a pronounced problem for a club that used to thrive protecting the perimeter. Now, there’s no guarantee Lillard will ever be the same level of offensive force he had been prior to the Achilles injury.
As a small guard in his mid-30s, it’s possible Lillard will struggle to regain his pre-ailment form. Given that Lillard is owed $112.6 million across the next two seasons (including a $58.5 million player option for 2026-27), the Bucks will probably be unable to move off his deal this year.
Before the Achilles tear, that Lillard contract had been, by far, the top mechanism available to newly-extended Milwaukee general manager Jon Horst to improve the club’s roster around Antetokounmpo this summer.
Facing a limited upside to the Bucks’ postseason chances in the immediate future, many fans and pundits alike have wondered if Antetokounmpo will demand a trade out of Milwaukee.
During a Thursday appearance on ESPN’s “The Pat McAfee Show,” longtime NBA insider Shams Charania shed some light on when Antetokounmpo might request to be dealt, if he does at all.
“There’s a difference between being open-minded and from what I am told, exploring other options, actively exploring other options. There’s a difference between doing that and asking for a trade. He’s in the process of figuring out what he wants to do.”@ShamsCharania speaks on… pic.twitter.com/vsIJ5udwlX
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) June 11, 2025
“His status will not be tied to the NBA draft, it won’t be tied to free agency,” Charania indicated. “It’s much more likely that his future plays out into July and into August in terms of him seeing the landscape of not only the Bucks – seeing the landscape of the league, seeing what other teams do.”
The 2025 NBA Draft is scheduled for Wednesday, June 25 and Thursday, June 26. Teams can begin negotiating with free agents on June 30, while the moratorium to sign free agents ends on July 6.
Bucks center Brook Lopez will be an unrestricted free agent this summer. Power forward/center Bobby Portis and guards Kevin Porter Jr. and Pat Connaughton all have player options. Should Lopez, Portis and Connaughton all leave, Antetokounmpo will suddenly be the only player left from Milwaukee’s 2021 championship squad.
“When you’re a star of that caliber, the league moves how you want it to move,” Charania noted. “The league will move when you’re ready to ask for a trade or if you’re ready to say that I’m staying, I want to be back.”
Related: Bucks Star to Decline Option, Will Become Unrestricted Free Agent
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 12, 2025, where it first appeared.