Giannis Antetokounmpo isn’t asking out and he has now made that clear. The Bucks superstar has heard the noise. He’s felt the weight of the standings. And after another loss, a 120-113 setback to the Golden State Warriors, the two-time MVP chose clarity over ambiguity.
“There will never be a chance, and there will never be a moment that I will come out and say, ‘I want a trade,’” Antetokounmpo told The Athletic outside the visitors’ locker room at Chase Center. “That’s not … in … my … nature. OK?”
Those words landed with force because of context. Milwaukee sits 16-21, 11th in the Eastern Conference, and outside the playoff picture. Trade chatter has followed Antetokounmpo relentlessly, fueled by the Bucks’ uneven play and the looming decision points in his contract, including a four-year, $275 million extension he’ll be eligible for on Oct. 1 and an opt-out clause in the summer of 2027.
Yet Antetokounmpo’s tone was not one of distance. It was one of defiance.
“I am not (going anywhere). I am invested in this team,” he said. “I want to turn this team around. I want to play good basketball. I want to be healthy. I want to help my teammates. I wanna win games… I’m locked the f–k in. I’m locked in. My priority is just staying healthy.”
Performance Isn’t the Problem
If commitment were measured in production, Antetokounmpo’s case would be airtight. Despite missing 14 of Milwaukee’s 37 games due to injury, the 31-year-old is averaging 29.5 points on 64.5 percent shooting, 10.0 rebounds, and 5.5 assists. Only one other player in the league is hitting those marks this season: Denver’s injured three-time MVP Nikola Jokić.
Those numbers keep Antetokounmpo firmly in the MVP conversation, assuming he remains eligible, even as the Bucks struggle to find consistency around him.
“I don’t look right. I don’t look left,” he said. “I look only to the next game, which is the Lakers, and I want to win the game. I want us to stack wins before the All-Star Game to get ourselves back to the race. We’re what, 11th now? This is not who we are.”
The Bucks sit just one game back of the Chicago Bulls for a position for the Play-In tournament and five games back of being in position to lock down a secured spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs. Unfortunately for the Antetokounmpo and the Bucks, five of their next six games come against top Western Conference opponents including the Oklahoma City Thunder, San Antonio Spurs and the Denver Nuggets twice.
The Bucks are in hot pursuit for a major addition to help light a fire under this team with names like Dejounte Murray, Zach LaVine and Jerami Grant all being mentioned. The question now is who will they land and will it be enough to get Milwaukee back in the position that Antetokounmpo believes they can reach?
What Comes Next Still Matters
League sources have previously confirmed that Milwaukee has not engaged other teams in Antetokounmpo trade talks, opting instead to explore roster upgrades around their franchise cornerstone. While the Knicks briefly surfaced in offseason conversations, nothing materialized.
Antetokounmpo understands the business realities. “My plan is to be here for the rest of my career,” he told ESPN. “If they don’t want me… I’m not the one in charge. I am an employee.”
That tension, elite loyalty versus organizational direction, will define Milwaukee’s next chapter. But for now, Antetokounmpo’s message is unmistakable.
“Today, I am committed, not 100 percent, but 1 million percent to my teammates, to my craft, to this team and to this city,” he said. “One million percent.”
The rumors can wait. Giannis isn’t leaving, at least not on his terms.