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It seemed as if the Milwaukee Bucks had found a way to appease Giannis Antetokounmpo during the offseason, making the bold decision to stretch and waive Damian Lillard in order to acquire Myles Turner in free agency. The Bucks have repeatedly made big moves in order to give their superstar a chance to win another championship but in the 2025-26 season, those moves have largely failed.

The Bucks are 10-15 as of Tuesday, Dec. 9 and sit in the final play-in spot in the Eastern Conference. Antetokounmpo remains dominant with 28.9 points, 10.1 rebounds and 6.1 assists per game but the Bucks haven't found a way to translate that production into wins. Milwaukee is 16th in offensive rating and 22nd in defensive rating, and Antetokounmpo has now had deeper conversations with the front office about his future. While there has been no overt trade demand, it appears the Greek Freak is on his way out. Antetokounmpo himself is set to miss up to a month with a calf injury, which means the Bucks are unlikely to see marked improvement on the court. Teams might want to wait to ensure Antetokounmpo has fully recovered from the injury before making a bigger push for a trade.

DraftKings Sportsbook has posted odd on Antetokounmpo's future. This market is being graded for where Antetokounmpo plays his first minute after the trade deadline, even if he does get moved before Feb. 5. Bet NBA games at DraftKings and get $200 in bonus bets if your first wager of $5 or more wins:

Giannis Antetokounmpo post-trade deadline team odds

Via DraftKings:

Favorite: Milwaukee Bucks (+160)

The Bucks continue to maintain Antetokounmpo will not being moved, and they do have him under contract for the next two seasons. Even though the team is struggling, Antetokounmpo remains extremely productive and will be in the conversation for MVP and Defensive Player of the Year. It's not easy to find a deal where the Bucks get equal value back in a trade, especially when you add in what Antetokounmpo has already done for the franchise. Unless there's a clear trade demand, the Bucks have the luxury of waiting until the offseason when more contracts become movable and more teams can get involved in a potential bidding war. 

Other contenders: New York Knicks (+300), San Antonio Spurs (+450), Atlanta Hawks (+500)

The Knicks are an obvious fit for Antetokounmpo and they've shown plenty of times how willing they are to make big moves, trading for OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns over the last few seasons. However, New York has blown through most of its draft picks and would need to offer multiple starters in any deal for Antetokounmpo to match salaries. Would the Bucks want those assets or would they rather go into a full rebuild and accumulate draft assets?

The Spurs offer a strong collection of young players and draft picks, headlined by Dylan Harper and Stephon Castle. The idea of putting De'Aaron Fox, Antetokounmpo and Victor Wembanyama on a team together is tantalizing but does San Antonio want to accelerate its timeline that quickly? The Spurs don't usually make big moves like this and Fox was the exception as he wanted to join San Antonio. Unless Antetokounmpo makes an explicit demand, it's hard to see the Spurs making a serious push. The Hawks can match most trade packages and would definitely go over the top if they offer Jalen Johnson, though that's unlikely to happen. Atlanta does have the advantage of potentially giving Milwaukee some of its own picks back, giving the Bucks more control over their future rebuild if they do move on from the Greek Freak.

Longshot: Minnesota Timberwolves (+6000)

There's a report Antetokounmpo looked into joining the Chicago Bulls (+5000) but the front office was not receptive and wanted to focus on its current core. The Detroit Pistons (+2200) have good assets and are off to a tremendous start this season but would Milwaukee trade Antetokounmpo to a division rival? There have long been rumors about Antetokounmpo joining Stephen Curry in the Bay Area but the Golden State Warriors (+2000) haven't necessarily shown they are one player away from contending for a championship. The Timberwolves tried to add Kevin Durant last season, so they're clearly looking to pair another star with Anthony Edwards. Minnesota has some sizable contracts it can move with Rudy Gobert and Julius Randle to make the finances work, while also offering some prospects and draft picks well into the future.