The clock is ticking for the Milwaukee Bucks to trade Giannis Antetokounmpo. The reporting since the end of the regular season was that there would be a deal before the 2026 NBA Draft, which is less than two weeks away. There has been plenty of speculation connecting the Greek superstar to different teams, but nothing has materialized so far.
Among the likely Antetokounmpo suitors, which one would be the best trade partner for the Bucks? Who is able to give the best trade package to help Milwaukee kickstart the new era of Bucks basketball? Let's rank them from worst to best.
6. Golden State Warriors
Even though it's more likely that Antetokounmpo will end up on an Eastern Conference team, he has been connected to the Warriors in the past. Golden State is also expected to be aggressive this offseason.
The problem is they don't have much to offer the Bucks outside of draft capital. Sure, they have the No. 11 pick in this year's draft and can offer three more unprotected picks and multiple pick swaps, but they don't have any players of intrigue.
Plus, Jimmy Butler almost certainly has to be included in the deal to match salaries, and he is essentially dead salary for $54.1 million as he is expected to miss most of next season. That shouldn't be something the Bucks are too interested in.
5. New York Knicks
Marc Stein and Jake Fischer reported this week that the Bucks may want to wait until the end of the NBA Finals to see if they can re-engage the Knicks in trade talks. With them winning it all, it's hard to imagine the Knicks pursuing Giannis. If they had squandered their 2-0 lead and lost, however, it's plausible that they would get involved.
This package would have to be centered around Karl-Anthony Towns. He would allow the Bucks to stay competitive in the post-Giannis era, but the Knicks have very limited future assets to offer Milwaukee. The ideal return for the Bucks would have to include draft capital and a young player of intrigue.
4. Miami Heat
At this point, Miami is the frontrunner to land Giannis, but it's hard to imagine they would have the best offer. This trade would be centered around Tyler Herro or Andrew Wiggins as the main matching salary. Then, the Heat would have to include a combination of Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kel'el Ware, Nikola Jovic, and Kasparas Jakucionis, as well as draft capital.
It's not the most exciting offer, but Antetokounmpo can put his thumb on the scale and force his way to Miami. That could further temper this offer and prevent the Bucks from getting back the best package possible.
3. Boston Celtics
A Jaylen Brown-for-Giannis swap would certainly be a fascinating blockbuster. Brown may be the best individual player the Bucks could realistically get in a Giannis trade, which alone makes the Celtics an attractive trade partner.
Whether the Bucks should want a star player back in this trade, however, is a different question. Sure, if they want to stay competitive, they can't do any better than Brown, who has shown an ability to lead a team in Jayson Tatum's absence. If the Bucks want to get younger and accumulate as many assets as possible instead, then the Celtics may not have the best offer.
2. Oklahoma City Thunder
OKC is the most asset-rich team in the league. They have a ton of good, young players on team-friendly deals and have a slew of future draft picks. They can beat out any trade offer for any player in the league, including Antetokounmpo.
If they were to put Chet Holmgren in this deal, the Thunder would immediately have the best offer. Yet, that seems highly unlikely. They understandably feel like they are still the title favorites next season and will hesitate to give up their 23-year-old All-NBA player. If they are interested, however, the package the Bucks can get from them can kickstart their rebuild.
1. Portland Trail Blazers
The Blazers have control of Milwaukee's picks from 2028 to 2030 as part of the Damian Lillard trade. This makes them a very appealing trade partner. Getting some of these picks back would allow Milwaukee to slowly build through the draft.
Portland also has young players whom the Bucks may be interested in, like Scoot Henderson, Donovan Clingan, and Shaedon Sharpe.
If Antetokounmpo is willing to sign an extension in Portland, the Blazers would be the perfect trade partners for the Bucks.
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