Two-time MVP tells organization he wants out after 12-plus years as Bucks sink to 18-27 disaster
After 12-plus years, Giannis Antetokounmpo has made his decision: he’s ready for a new home. The two-time MVP has informed the Milwaukee Bucks for months that the moment has come to part ways, and multiple teams have already begun making aggressive trade offers. The Bucks, sitting at 18-27 and 12th in the Eastern Conference, are starting to listen. This isn’t speculation. This is a superstar telling an organization that built itself around him that he’s done.
The conversations have been ongoing since December, with Giannis and his agent Alex Saratsis meeting with general manager Jon Horst for the past nine months to discuss whether Milwaukee is still his best fit. The answer, apparently, is no. Not anymore. Not with this roster. Not with this dysfunction. Not with a team that can’t function without him on the court.
This is the most significant development in the 2024-25 NBA season. A generational talent the guy who brought Milwaukee its first championship in 50 years is essentially asking to be traded before the February 5th deadline. Multiple teams have already received signals from the Bucks that they’re more open than ever to Antetokounmpo offers. Milwaukee isn’t rushing anything, but the message is clear: if the price is right, Giannis is available.
What makes this moment particularly striking is that Giannis loves Milwaukee. He’s said it repeatedly in private conversations. He loves the city. He loves the franchise. But love apparently isn’t enough when your team is this dysfunctional.
When individual dominance can’t overcome organizational failure
Here’s the staggering reality: Giannis is averaging 28.0 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 5.6 assists while shooting a career-best 64.5% from the field. He’s leading the NBA in points per minute. He’s playing at an historic individual level. And it doesn’t matter because his team is catastrophically broken.
The Bucks are 15-15 when Giannis plays. When he sits, they’re historically bad. Their offensive rating without him would rank last in the NBA worse than every other team. Without Giannis on the court, Milwaukee is 15 points per 100 possessions worse. That’s not a supporting cast issue. That’s an organizational disaster. The team was built to amplify his skills, and instead it’s created a roster that can’t function without him.
Milwaukee ranks 23rd in offensive efficiency and 23rd in defensive efficiency. They’re in the bottom 10 on both sides of the ball one of only six teams in that position. This isn’t a team that’s one or two pieces away. This is a team that’s fundamentally broken. Giannis has carried it as far as he can carry it alone.
Giannis himself made this clear after a recent loss to Oklahoma City, offering a blunt assessment of the situation: the team wasn’t playing hard, wasn’t doing the right things, wasn’t playing to win, wasn’t playing together. Chemistry was gone. Guys were being selfish. The organizational dysfunction was on full display, and Giannis wasn’t hiding from it.
The injury adds another layer to the urgency
Complicating everything is Giannis’ current right calf strain, the same injury that sidelined him for 24 days in December. He’s expected to miss 4-6 weeks. When he was injured Friday against Denver, he predicted the timeline. On Monday, coach Doc Rivers wouldn’t even speculate on his return. That tells you the level of uncertainty surrounding the franchise right now.
Giannis played the majority of Friday’s game with the injury and admitted he wouldn’t have returned if the team were in a better playoff position. Think about that: he was so desperate to help Milwaukee stay competitive that he played injured despite knowing the damage. Now he’s missing weeks while the team continues to sink.
The Bucks are 3-12 in games Giannis has missed. Without him, they’re a lottery team. With him, they’re barely above .500. That’s the impossible situation the franchise has created.
The deadline decision and contract leverage
Giannis becomes eligible for a four-year, $275 million supermax extension on October 1. Without signing it, he could become an unrestricted free agent in the 2027 offseason. His contract situation gives him significant leverage in determining where he wants to be traded. Any team acquiring him needs to know he’s committed long-term, but Giannis is using that uncertainty to position himself.
The Bucks indicated they’re not rushing into a trade deadline deal. They’d rather wait until the offseason if they don’t get the price they want blue-chip young talent and/or surplus draft picks. But every day that passes, every loss that accumulates, every game where the team looks dysfunctional on court makes the case stronger that Giannis’ time in Milwaukee is finished.
After 12 years of carrying a franchise, building it into a champion, and giving everything he has, Giannis has decided he’s ready for a fresh start.
