Giannis Antetokounmpo to the Knicks? Plus 4 other trade destinations

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Is it panic time for the Milwaukee Bucks with Giannis Antetokounmpo’s future in doubt? | Breakfast Ball

Danny Parkins discusses whether it’s panic time for the Milwaukee Bucks as Giannis Antetokounmpo’s future remains uncertain and elimination looms in the NBA Playoffs

“They are in — arguably them and Phoenix — the worst situation of any team in the NBA,” Danny Parkins said Tuesday on Breakfast Ball. “They have spent a ton of money on players who are now hurt. They’ve given up a ton of draft picks to acquire said hurt players, and they’re going to get bounced in the first round of the playoffs. Their only way out of it, is to trade the best player in their franchise history, but if they do, and they try to tank, they don’t even own those draft picks because they traded them away. So they are in an awful, awful situation.”

Between their lack of draft captial and Lillard’s injury, the Bucks are heavily limited in making moves to improve the core around Antetokounmpo. 

That leaves one move, seeing what they can get for him. To reset, or to rebuild. And, at the same time, giving Antetokounmpo a chance to compete while he’s still in his prime. As his and the Bucks’ offseason begins, here are the top partners for a Giannis-trade:

Package: Bam Adebayo, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kyle Anderson, three first-round picks (2026, 2028, 2030)

Analysis Results-wise, Miami is in a similar position to Milwaukee. The Heat have lost in the first round the last two seasons. Antetokounmpo, alone, could get them back to where team President, Pat Riley, wants them to be: contending for championships. What they have that the Bucks don’t is draft capital. Milwaukee, though, doesn’t just want a haul of picks from a team that’s getting its superstar because any team which acquires Antetokounmpo won’t pick high. So the Heat would have to send them a trio of picks and Adebayo, who helps Milwaukee continue to compete. 

Package: Karl-Anthony Towns, one first-round pick (2026 via Washington 1-10 protected) 

Analysis: While the Knicks advanced from their Eastern Conference first-round series with the Detroit Pistons in # games, they don’t look like they can match Boston’s caliber. That’s a tough reality for a team that unloaded a combined seven first-round picks plus Julius Randle and Donte Divincenzo for Mikal Bridges and Karl Anthony-Towns last offseason. Because of that, they only have one future pick they can trade — a 2026 top-10-protected Washington Wizards pick. The Bucks probably need more draft capital if they’re going to move Antetokounmpo, but if they just want a way to stay competitive, doing, essentially, a 1-for-1 swap for Towns could make sense. 

Package: Ja Morant, Brandon Clarke, and Zach Edey OR Jaren Jackson Jr., Marvin Bagley, John Konchar and Jaylen Wells; either deal would also include three first-round picks (2027, 2029, 2031)

The Grizzlies have a decision to make. This is now six seasons of the Ja Morant – Jaren Jackson Jr. pairing and while they’ve finished as high as second in the Western Conference, twice, they haven’t made it past the second round. In 2025, they took a step back, getting swept by Oklahoma City in the first round. That’s enough of a sample size to understand that having Morant and Jackson as your best two players isn’t good enough to contend for a title. Therefore, they may have to choose between them. 

Morant is one of the most popular athletes to ever grace Memphis, but his off-court antics and injuries have become more of a story than his on-court production as of late. He also may be more enticing to Milwaukee because, not only does he allow them to stay competitive, but he will sell jerseys and keep the team relevant as they reset or rebuild. 

Jackson Jr. would also help the Bucks stay afloat, and the Grizzlies may think he could be an awkward fit alongside a fellow 7-footer in Antetokounmpo. But, if they believe they can build around those two big men, they could potentially have the best defense in the NBA, and would just have to figure out the point guard position. Parting ways with Morant, and configuring a roster around two semi-redundant offensive players is daunting, but this could be the highest-ceiling for any potential Antetokounmpo destination.

Package: Zion Williamson, Dejounte Murray or CJ McCollum, Jordan Hawkins, and Yves Missi + three first-round picks (2026 via Milwaukee, 2027 swap with Milwaukee, 2029, 2031)

Analysis: From a Bucks’ front-office standpoint, this is a great option because New Orleans owns the rights to Milwaukee’s first-round pick in 2026, and has the right to swap with Milwaukee in 2027 because of the trade that sent Jrue Holiday to the Bucks. This would allow the Bucks to completely bottom-out over the next two seasons and usher in a rebuild. 

The issue with this is convincing Antetokounmpo. It wouldn’t make much sense for him to play in New Orleans, with a core made up of Trey Murphy, and whomever they hold onto between Williamson, Murray and McCollum. That’s just not contending with the giants of the Western Conference. 

Package: Dillon Brooks, Alperen Sengun, Reed Sheppard and three 1st round picks (2027 via Brooklyn, 2028, 2030). (The Bucks would also need to send Pat Connaughton to make the contracts work)

The Rockets are on the brink of elimination in their first trip to the playoffs with their young core. It was expected that they’d have some hiccups as they got their playoff scars, so making a huge move may be a bit brash. While Houston would probably prefer to send Jalen Green rather than Sengun, who has fared better in the 2025 playoffs than his counterpart, that’s not enough to net Antetokounmpo. In addition, a roster with Sengun, Antetokounmpo and Amen Thompson does not have enough spacing. Therefore, Sengun is the natural trade piece. 

He, and the haul of picks, would help Milwaukee start its rebuild, while Houston would have the talent — with a core of Antetokounmpo, Green, Thompson, Jabari Smith and Fred VanVleet — to compete with Oklahoma City and Minnesota for the foreseeable future.

There are other possible landing spots for Antetokounmpo, such as San Antonio, Atlanta, Oklahoma City, Minnesota, Toronto and more. In fact, if Antetokounmpo is made available or asks out of Milwaukee, all the other 29 teams would clamor to put together a package. These five make the most sense for Milwaukee, Antetokounmpo, and the recipient team. 

Regardless of where he goes, or if he leaves Milwaukee, an offseason of rumors and drama surrounding Antetokounmpo is soon to begin.

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