After weeks of rumors, the Milwaukee Bucks are hanging on to superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, at least for the remainder of the season.
There were thoughts that Antetokounmpo could be dealt to the Miami Heat, Golden State Warriors, or Minnesota Timberwolves before the deadline, but that didn’t end up happening.
Bucks Have a Cheeky Response After Giannis Antetokounmpo Reports
On Thursday afternoon, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported the Bucks would not be dealing Antetokounmpo.
“The Milwaukee Bucks have indicated to teams that they are keeping Giannis Antetokounmpo through the trade deadline and will start making other trades, sources tell ESPN,” Charania reported.
According to NBA insider Jake Fischer, the Bucks never came close to dealing the Greek Freak.
According to a team executive involved in the Antetokounmpo talks Fischer spoke to, the Bucks “were never serious” when discussing the trade.
As those reports continued to surface today, the Bucks’ official X account had a hilarious response, posting an emoji yawning as if they were bored and nothing was going on.
🥱
— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) February 5, 2026
Although the response has drawn a lot of ridicule and attracted endless criticism, who say Antetokounmpo will be leaving Milwaukee after the season anyway, it’s still a very funny response to what has been a difficult and tense situation.
Shortly after, Antetokounmpo made a post of his own indicating that he’s not leaving: “Legends don’t chase. They attract.”
Legends don’t chase. They attract 💯😎 pic.twitter.com/62r1jg93vt
— Giannis Antetokounmpo (@Giannis_An34) February 5, 2026
At that point, the Bucks’ X account ended up sending another snarky four-word message: “Straight from the source.” This seemed like a subtle shot at ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania, who received plenty of criticism for his anonymous reporting of the Giannis trade saga once a deal didn’t come to fruition.
MORE: NBA World Dunks On ESPN Insider Shams Charania After Giannis Antetokounmpo Isn’t Traded
Antetokounmpo led the Bucks to a championship in 2021, but they were bounced by the Boston Celtics in seven games despite taking a 3-2 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinals in 2022, as they tried to defend their crown. The Bucks have not advanced beyond the first round since losing to the Heat in five games in 2023 and to a divisional rival, the Indiana Pacers, in each of the last two seasons.
The Bucks tried to improve the roster around Antetokounmpo prior to the season by waiving Damian Lillard using the stretch provision and signing Pacers’ big man Myles Turner to a four-year, $107 million deal.
Turner, however, has been a disaster, averaging just 13.0 points and 5.6 rebounds in 28.6 minutes per game while shooting 43.9% from the field, all well below his career averages.
The Bucks now have a record of just 20-29 and are still three games out of the play-in, which is why many thought the Bucks would finally pull the trigger on an Antetokounmpo deal. Antetokounmpo is currently out with a calf injury, which has only added fuel to the potential trade fire.
The Greek forward is having another great season, averaging 28.0 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 5.6 assists per game. He is also shooting 64.5% from the field for Milwaukee.
The Bucks’ loss to the Celtics on Sunday was their fifth straight and their eighth loss in their last nine games, but they’ve now won each of their last two contests to improve to 5-14 without Antetokounmpo, meaning they have gone .500 with him in the lineup, which would likely be more than enough to get them into at least the play-in tournament.
The Bucks will return to the court Friday night when they host the Indiana Pacers before starting a four-game road trip.
