Giannis Antetokounmpo preparing to leave Milwaukee Bucks as team listen to ‘aggressive’ trade offers for former MVP | NBA News
Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo is preparing to say farewell to the franchise with which he has spent his entire NBA career as the team listen to trade offers for him, according to ESPN.
With the NBA trade deadline closing on February 5, multiple teams have made “aggressive offers” for the two-time league MVP and the Bucks are starting to listen, according to the report.
League sources confirmed to ESPN that Antetokounmpo, 31, has been telling the team for months that the moment has come to part ways after 12-plus seasons.
Milwaukee dropped to 18-27 with a 139-122 loss at Philadelphia on Tuesday night and is on track to miss the playoffs for the first time since the 2015-16 season.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Milwaukee Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo produced an incredible buzzer-beater as he helped the Bucks defeat the Indiana Pacers
Antetokounmpo, who is expected to be sidelined four to six weeks with a right calf strain he sustained last Friday, is averaging 28.0 points, 10.0 rebounds and 5.6 assists in 30 starts this season.
A nine-time All-Star who led the Bucks to their first NBA championship in 50 years in 2021, Antetokounmpo is the franchise’s all-time leader in games (889), points (21,377), rebounds (8,831), assists (4,456) and blocked shots (1,086).
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Milwaukee Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo seemed to silence some of the trade rumours surrounding him with his celebration after this big sequence of play at both ends
Antetokounmpo, who earned the nickname ‘The Greek Freak’ for his ability to make remarkably athletic plays, would become a free agent in the summer of 2027 if he opted not to sign a contract extension later this year.
When asked earlier in January before he got injured whether he was confident that he will stay with the Bucks for the rest of the season, Antetokounmpo said: “I don’t know. I don’t know. I take it day by day.”
