It’s becoming harder for the Milwaukee Bucks to ignore the writing on the wall with Giannis Antetokounmpo. They are not going anywhere, and now he’s hurt again. Maybe if he hadn’t gotten hurt, they’d have approached things differently, but his injury forced them to change course.
How Did Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Injury Force the Bucks to Go in a Different Direction?
HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto revealed which superstar the Bucks were going after before Antetokounmpo’s injury, though their chances were slim.
“While the Bucks expressed interest in Grizzlies star Ja Morant, Milwaukee’s chances of landing the two-time All-Star were deemed unlikely within the past few days following Antetokounmpo’s injury, HoopsHype has learned,” Scotto wrote. “As previously reported on HoopsHype, the Grizzlies desired Milwaukee’s 2031 or 2032 first-round pick and Most Improved Player of the Year candidate Ryan Rollins in Morant discussions.”
It didn’t just stop with Morant, as other players were on the Bucks’ radar. “In addition to Morant, Milwaukee was linked with trade interest in several notable names on the trade market, including Morant, Michael Porter Jr., Zach LaVine, Andrew Wiggins, Jerami Grant, Miles Bridges, Malik Monk, Keon Ellis, and other players. However, with Antetokounmpo out for a significant amount of time, there’s less urgency for the Bucks to act immediately.”
More than that, though, they had plans to see if they could find impact players at bargain prices.
“Before Antetokounmpo’s injury, the Bucks also had discussions about improving around the margins with several veteran minimum players in differing trade talks to acquire higher-priced upgrades who fit under their room below the luxury tax, league sources told HoopsHype,” Scotto wrote. “Meanwhile, the Bucks have gauged the trade value of forwards Kyle Kuzma and Bobby Portis on the market across the league, sources said.”
Story: Reporting on Giannis Antetokounmpo, Domantas Sabonis, Jalen Green, Walker Kessler, Yves Missi, and trade talks involving the Lakers, Celtics, Knicks, Hawks, Bulls, Cavaliers, Timberwolves, Jazz, Spurs, Magic, Pelicans, and Wizards on @hoopshype. https://t.co/m0X18YNzYs
— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) January 28, 2026
On the one hand, it makes sense that the Bucks were trying to go for one last Hail Mary, but on the other, their goose is cooked no matter what they would have done. In fact, taking such a risk could have potentially made their predicament worse than it already is.
Their last options in the Giannis Antetokounmpo era were to acquire players who were good but overpaid, which the NBA has plenty of these days, but none who could really turn the Bucks’ fortunes around.
His latest injury, combined with the Bucks’ obvious struggles this season, all point to where this ends with a trade.
