Giannis Antetokoumnpo trade rumors: Nine most likely destinations for Bucks star

Antetokounmpo wants to stay in the East with a contender, and while there would be a lot of roster work to do, he and Bam Adebayo are a very good foundation. Plus, Miami has the draws of no state tax, plus plenty of sunshine and mojitos nearby. If Antetokounmpo pushes for Miami, this would happen.

Boston Celtics

At his end-of-season press conference, Brad Stevens — the man in charge of basketball operations in Boston — talked about the need for this team to put more pressure on the rim. Specifically, the Celtics need players who can drive the lane (and an upgrade at the five).

Nobody puts pressure on the rim like Antetokounmpo. After the Celtics' first-round exit, Boston is suddenly the team on everybody's lips. It can put together an offer around Jaylen Brown and up to four first-round picks — but is that the direction the Celtics want to go? Trade away the player they drafted and developed in Brown to get a mercenary who is older and has been injured often in recent seasons?

Antetokounmpo has expressed admiration for coach Joe Mazzulla and might well be interested, but how aggressive will the Celtics really be in this chase? If Antetokounmpo pushes for it, this could happen.

Orlando Magic

After another early, disappointing exit from the playoffs — including a Game 6 collapse where the Magic missed 23 shots in a row at one point — there are a lot of people around the league who see Orlando potentially going all in on an Antetokounmpo trade. The Magic at least explored the idea of trading for the Greek Freak at the deadline.

Orlando likely would construct a deal around Paolo Banchero and a handful of first-round picks. This trade would dramatically shorten the runway in Orlando because they get much older — Banchero is 23, Antetokounmpo turns 32 next season — but, if everyone is healthy, it gets them closer to the teams at the top of the East next season and for a few years. Antetokounmpo gets to go to a contender in a warm-weather state. If the Magic are convinced the Banchero and Franz Wagner era isn't going to work out and the duo needs to be broken up, this is a path they can choose.

Cleveland Cavaliers

If Cleveland makes it to the Eastern Conference Finals, does it change things for the Cavaliers? Probably not. This is the most expensive team in the NBA this season, and it should be Finals-or-bust. If they are unable to get past the Pistons (Cleveland leads that series 3-2 as of this writing) or the Knicks in the Eastern Conference Finals, changes will be coming. Remember, Donovan Mitchell can be a free agent in the summer of 2027, and he will put pressure on the organization to go all in to get the players who can get him to the Finals.

Cleveland and Milwaukee discussed a trade package centered on Evan Mobley at the deadline, but the sticking point was how much draft capital would go back to the Bucks. If Antetokounmpo decides he wants to stay in the Midwest and go to Cleveland, and he pushes for it, this could be a deal that becomes real.

Minnesota Timberwolves

Minnesota was one of the teams that talked with Milwaukee at the trade deadline, and Antetokounmpo reportedly — and understandably — had interest in pairing with Anthony Edwards.

But there are a lot of hurdles to this trade. It's just hard to construct. The Bucks will want Jaden McDaniels, and he has shown incredible growth and become a foundational piece for the Timberwolves in the last year (and he has had a standout playoffs). Also, Minnesota is short on draft picks to trade, so it would need a third team involved.

Another massive hurdle (for Minnesota and a few more teams on this list): Does Antetokounmpo want to go to the Western Conference, where Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder, Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs, and Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets all stand in the way the next few years? The sense is Antetokounmpo wants to stay in the East, league sources have told NBC Sports.

Houston Rockets

Houston has the quality young players and draft picks needed to entice Milwaukee in a trade, and after an early exit from the playoffs despite signing Kevin Durant last summer, might the Rockets go all-in again? Don't bet on it. GM Rafael Stone didn't sound like a guy thinking big moves at his end-of-season press conference.

"We'll look at everything over the offseason, and all potential deals," Stone said. "But we think the players in our locker room can win a lot of games and be very competitive. We have players coming back from injury that will help us. And if we bring back the same group, I think continuity will help us."

Golden State Warriors

Giannis Antetokounmpo and Stephen Curry together and chasing a ring (let's throw LeBron James in that mix, too). It would be entertaining.

It's also unlikely. Golden State pushed hard for a deal at the trade deadline because it knew heading into this summer there would be better offers on the table than its four first-round picks. The matching salary would likely have to be Jimmy Butler or Draymond Green, and an injured Butler (ACL) or Green — neither of whom would want to be there — is not appealing to the Bucks. Plus, again, the Warriors are in the West, and if Antetokounmpo wants to compete for a title, well, he and Curry are at best in the second tier in that conference.

New York Knicks

Never say never, but this team is on the verge of reaching the NBA Finals for the first time since people feared the Y2K bug — do they want or need to break that roster up for Antetokounmpo?

That said, New York is the one team we know Antetokounmpo told Bucks general manager Jon Horst to talk to. The challenge is putting together a trade both sides like. The money works if it's Karl-Anthony Towns for Antetokounmpo, but KAT is a poor fit for a rebuilding Knicks team. A deal also can work with OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges and Josh Hart, but do the Knicks want to break up the guys who embody the team's identity? Even if Milwaukee is interested in those players, it also will want picks, and the Knicks don't have many to trade, so now a third team is in the mix, and it gets complicated.

Never say never, but this is a long shot.

Milwaukee Bucks

While it seems like a parting of the ways is going to happen, we've all seen this movie before. Antetokounmpo has threatened to leave in the past, used that as leverage to get the Bucks to make a bold (if not always wise) trade, and then signed to stay with the only city and team he has known.

This time it feels different. Antetokounmpo was frustrated last season — especially for the final games when he was not cleared to return and play with his brothers. Antetokounmpo and the Bucks talked, and their general manager, Jon Horst, explored trade offers at the deadline. Around the league, the expectation is that a trade is happening this time.

But would anybody be shocked if it doesn't?

Brooklyn Nets

No doubt the Brooklyn Nets are star hunting after being let down in the NBA Draft Lottery in consecutive years, but this team probably should be in the group below. The Nets have plenty of picks to offer in a trade, but not the blue-chip young talent. Also, Antetokounmpo wants to compete for a title, and even with him healthy and at his peak, the rest of this roster is worse than Milwaukee's. It's hard to see this happening.

That’s not happening group

• Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers are building around Luka Doncic, and he and Antetokounmpo — two ball-dominant players who are not elite off-ball — would not mesh well. The Lakers' only blue-chip young player is Austin Reaves, and he'd have to agree to a sign-and-trade for this to work, and the Lakers would rather keep him. Plus, Antetokounmpo has said in the past he doesn't love Los Angeles as a city, and he'd be moving to the stacked West. Just hard to see this happening.

• Portland Trail Blazers. New owner Tom Dundon wants to make a statement about how he is there to compete and wants his front office to go after Antetokounmpo. It all feels a bit performative. The Trail Blazers do have two former teammates Antetokounmpo loves in Jrue Holiday and Damian Lillard, plus they have quality young players and some picks. But does anyone see Antetokounmpo agreeing to sign an extension in Portland? He's not going West to be on this team.

• Atlanta Hawks. All the buzz in league circles is that Atlanta is not throwing its hat in the ring, it wants to build something more organically around Jalen Johnson. They want to keep the No. 8 pick in this draft. While the Hawks could use a No. 1 option, this is not the guy they are going to chase.

• Toronto Raptors. Some people see this as possible because the Raptors are in the East, have plenty of picks and can add Collin Murray-Boyles after a strong playoff showing. However, it seems to me that Antetokounmpo would see Toronto as another version of Milwaukee — a good team with him, but not a contender. I just do not see this happening.