The Milwaukee Bucks' rocky start to the season has sparked rumors that their superstar, Giannis Antetokounmpo, could be on the move. With a 1-3 record and a tough schedule ahead, rival teams reportedly believe Milwaukee’s struggles might make Giannis available before the NBA trade deadline (February 6).

"I wouldn’t be surprised if it happened by the trade deadline," an NBA executive told CBS Sports. Another added, "Teams are circling — and hopeful."

An Eastern Conference executive also speculated on Giannis' preferred destinations: "The teams I've heard are Miami and New York — the Nets, not the Knicks."

As tension builds with each Bucks loss, Giannis has fueled speculation with comments over recent seasons suggesting that if Milwaukee isn't contending for a championship, he may seek a trade. 

August 2023 - New York Times: 

• "You’ve got to see the dynamics. How the coach is going to be, how we’re going to be together. At the end of the day... I want to win a championship. As long as we’re on the same page with that... I’m all for it.”
• “There will never be hard feelings with the Milwaukee Bucks…. But we have to win another one.”

• "[Signing next summer] would make more sense for both parties. Even then, I don’t know. I would not be the best version of myself if I don’t know that everybody’s on the same page, everybody’s going for a championship, everybody’s going to sacrifice time away from their family like I do. And if I don’t feel that, I’m not signing.”

• “I don’t want to be 20 years on the same team and don’t win another championship.” 

“How the coach is going to be…”  refers to Doc Rivers—who has faced criticism and who hasn’t yet found sustained success with the Bucks. “How we’re going to be together…” speaks to concerns about team chemistry, which continues to be a work in progress since trading for superstar guard Damian Lillard. “The Greek Freak” clearly wants to win another chip, but this iteration of the team hasn't looked championship level.

This interview was given about a month before the 29-year-old Greek-Nigerian phenom signed a three-year, $186 million contract extension, but it’s hard to tell how much was negotiation and posturing, and how much was genuine frustration with the organization. Antetokounmpo is savvy enough to know his words reverberate around the league, and this was an early indicator that he’s not married to staying in Milwaukee forever.

September 2023: 48 Minutes Podcast:

• “Contracts, fame status, comfort zone does not matter to me. At the end of the day… [points to Larry O’Brian championship trophy behind him] right there—that’s what matters.”

• “As long as we are in for a championship … we are all good. The moment I feel like people are complacent and they're ‘okay’... I am not.”
• “Most importantly I am a winner. I want to win. I have to do whatever it takes for me to win and if there is a better situation for me to win the Larry O’Brien [Trophy], I have to take that better situation."

Once again this interview took place while Antetokounmpo’s camp and the Bucks were in the midst of a contract negotiation, but what makes this interesting is he chose to say that “contracts” don’t matter to him. So while one could argue this was a negotiation tactic, specifically saying contracts don’t matter tells a different story.

October 2024: The Athletic:

• “Yeah, if we don’t win a championship, I might get traded. Yeah, this is the job we live. This is the world we’re living in.”

• “On a serious note, this is the job. It’s the profession that we’re in. At any given moment, if you don’t succeed, that might be it for us. It was the same way with the previous coaching staff, and the year before, the players before. … If you don’t do a good enough job, you’re out.”

In 2021, Giannis led Milwaukee to their first NBA championship since 1974—securing his legacy in Wisconsin forever. What’s less secure is where the two-time NBA MVPs career goes from here.