The NBA landscape is about to shift. After months of speculation, Giannis Antetokounmpo is ready for a trade, as reported by ESPN's Shams Charania on Wednesday afternoon.
Every team should be interested in Giannis. He's been at an MVP level when he's been on the floor. That caveat is somewhat important. He is currently nursing a calf injury, and he's had nicks and bruises all season as a result of carrying such a huge load for the Bucks this year. Despite those injuries, he still has a few years left at the top of the mountain at age 31. He should fetch a massive price in the trade market.
The Bucks don't control several of their own draft picks, so this will be a tough needle for them to thread. They don't have incentive to bottom out for a pick in a great 2026 draft given that they will be trading it away anyway. They should be looking for a combination of future picks and good young players that can contribute right away.
There will be a lot of competition for Giannis' services. Here are the teams that are most likely to land him.
MORE: 11 worst contracts in the NBA as trade deadline approaches
Ranking Giannis Antetokounmpo trade destinations
David Banks-Imagn Images
3. New York Knicks
The Knicks had championship aspirations coming into the season. They don't look like quite that level of team, mostly due to defensive concerns around Karl-Anthony Towns and Jalen Brunson.
Giannis would certainly fix those issues. He's been rumored to want to go to New York, but the pathway to get him there would be tough to pull off given the Knicks' lack of draft assets. They only have one protected first-round pick available to trade, which probably won't even convey.
The Knicks do have good players though, so the basis of a trade would have to be to move several of them. Towns would get close to Giannis' salary. The Knicks would have to add a lot more to that package. The easiest way to do that would be to trade Mikal Bridges or OG Anunoby and have the Bucks add Kyle Kuzma to a deal. Another potential configuration could rope in a third team to take on one of the Knicks starters in exchange for assets that could be rerouted to Milwaukee.
In short, a Giannis trade to the Knicks would be possible, complicated, and hurt New York's depth at a level that might not make it worthwhile.
MORE: Looking at Warriors' options after Jimmy Butler injury
2. Miami Heat
Tyler Herro, a Wisconsin native and one-time All-Star, could be the basis of a Heat package. At 26 years old, he's the type of good young player that could lead the next era of Bucks basketball.
Herro obviously isn't close to the level of player that Giannis is. But Miami has other young prospects that they could add in as well. Jaime Jaquez, Kel'el Ware, Nikola Jovic, and Pelle Larsson have all shown that they are young rotation-caliber players in the league. Kasparas Jakucionis was just taken with the 20th pick in this past draft. Several of those players could be packaged alongside Herro, and the Heat would need to do so in order to match Giannis' salary.
The Heat would also have to throw in a lot of draft equity to make this deal happen. They have two first-rounders and three swaps that they could include in a deal. They have been aggressive in the past in landing stars, but their best offer still might not top others out there.
1. Atlanta Hawks
The Hawks are the best Giannis trade partner for a couple of different reasons. First, and most importantly, they control a portion of the Bucks' future picks. That control makes it very difficult for Milwaukee to bottom out. Atlanta could trade that draft equity back to Milwaukee, helping them to kick off their rebuild with a good selection in a strong 2026 draft rather than forcing them into the impossible goal of staying competitive without Giannis.
The Hawks also have a number of promising young players that the Bucks would be interested in. Jalen Johnson is a Wisconsin native and will make his first All-Star game this year. The 24-year-old is a triple-double machine and locked up on a team-friendly contract through the 2030 season.
MORE: Hawks-Wizards trade grades for Trae Young deal
Atlanta probably would not be willing to part with Johnson, even for a player like Giannis. Even in that scenario, the Hawks still have other players and assets that they could throw in to make a compelling deal.
Last year's No. 1 pick Zaccharie Risacher hasn't lived up to that draft slot, but he is still a promising young player with trade value. Kristaps Porzingis has a big expiring salary that could help the Bucks pivot out of their rough financial position. And Atlanta has three unprotected firsts, a protected first, and several pick swaps that it could add in a deal.
The Hawks put themselves in a position to take a big swing on a player like Giannis with trades over the past year, including one to get Trae Young's salary off their books. That opportunity has presented itself. They should be aggressive in pursuing it.