Giannis Antetokounmpo has long been rumored to be unhappy with the Milwaukee Bucks. The star led the team to a title during the 2020-21 season, but the team’s progress has stagnated since then.
Giannis Antetokounmpo Affirms Loyalty to Bucks Amid Trade Season Buzz
On Wednesday, the first major NBA trade happened when the Atlanta Hawks shipped Trae Young to the Washington Wizards. Could Antetokounmpo be the next star on the move? After his recent comments, it seems unlikely.
Antetokounmpo is in the middle of another great season. The star forward is averaging 29.5 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 5.5 assists while shooting a career-best 64.5% from the field. There’s no doubt Antetokounmpo would be desired by much of the league if he wanted out. However, the nine-time All-Star recently spoke with NBA insider Sam Amick and made his wishes clear.
“There will never be a chance, and there will never be a moment that I will come out and say I want a trade. That’s not in my nature,” Antetokounmpo explained. “My plan is to be here for the rest of my career.”
Quite a chat for @sam_amick with Giannis Antetokounmpo, who told him “there will never be a chance, and there will never be a moment, that I will come out and say: ‘I want a trade.’ ”
And: “My plan is to be here for the rest of my career.”
Full story: https://t.co/6nQrcCpYpM
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) January 8, 2026
Those comments have to make Bucks fans feel good, as it certainly seemed like Antetokounmpo was on his way out. However, the star did also point out that he doesn’t fully control whether or not he gets traded.
“I’m not the one in charge. I am an employee. … On the court, I can only control what I can control. I’m not in charge,” Antetokounmpo said. “Somebody writes my check. Tomorrow, the person who writes my check might say, ‘I don’t want to write that check no more. Let somebody else write that check.'”
While it seems incredibly unlikely that Antetokounmpo gets moved before the deadline, it will be interesting to see if the Bucks make any other moves.
Currently, the team is sitting at 16-21 and in fourth place in the Central Division. If the regular season ended today, the Bucks wouldn’t even make it to the Play-In Tournament. According to NBA Advanced Stats, the Bucks rank 18th in net defense rating and 21st in net offense rating.
Since Antetokounmpo has publicly declared his wish to remain in Milwaukee, the team may decide to go bold again and add talent around the star. The team has a couple of tough road games ahead, including one against the Los Angeles Lakers and another against the Denver Nuggets.