The top five betting favorites for Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s potential next team are filled with contenders and a rebuilding team.
If the Milwaukee Bucks were pushed to a corner, they could choose the best package available from these five teams, installed by Sports Betting AG as the favorites to land Antetokounmpo should he seek a trade.
Sports Betting AG has the New York Knicks as a +100 favorite, followed by the San Antonio Spurs (+200), Miami Heat (+500), Brooklyn Nets (+600) and the Boston Celtics (+1600) rounding up the top five bets to become Antetokounmpo’s next team.
The Knicks do not have draft capital, but they have five-time All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns as a potential Antetokounmpo replacement in Milwaukee to keep the Bucks competitive. On the other hand, the Celtics have NBA Finals MVP Jaylen Brown.
The Heat have Milwaukee native Tyler Herro, who blossomed into an All-Star and young center Kel’el Ware as potential headliners.
Meanwhile, the Nets have a cache of draft picks and nothing else to offer.
The Spurs are the most intriguing of the bunch. They have young prospects, No. 2 pick Dylan Harper and last season’s Rookie of the Year Stephon Castle, along with draft picks to potentially headline an Antetokounmpo trade package.
If Antetokounmpo forces his way out, the Bucks can generate a bidding war.
Giannis’ Bucks Future Not Yet Set in Stone
According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, Antetokounmpo’s future in Milwaukee remains in doubt.
“We’re standing here, it’s Aug. 4. Sources tell me there’s still nothing set in stone about whether Giannis Antetokounmpo will stay in Milwaukee or whether he will be leaving,” Charania said on ESPN’s “Get Up” on Aug. 4. “And so, he’s going to continue to evaluate his future.
“I reported it in mid-May that he’s evaluating whether his best fit is in Milwaukee or is it elsewhere. And that process is continuing. There’s been some very real conversations over the past week or so. The constant question that Giannis has, though, is, ‘Can I win a championship with this roster? Is this roster going to be one for this upcoming year and 2026-2027?’ He wants to win a second championship. So, he’s asking that question over and over.”
The Bucks essentially replaced Brook Lopez, who signed with the Los Angeles Clippers in free agency, with Myles Turner. And then they got career backup point guard Cole Anthony to fill in the spot left by the injured Damian Lillard, whose remaining $103 million contract was waived and stretched to create cap room to sign Turner.
But those are not needle-movers, which makes Antetokounmpo antsy about his chance to win a coveted second ring.
Bucks Confident Giannis Won’t Leave
The Bucks’ top officials are confident that Antetokounmpo will not request a trade anytime soon.
“We kind of laugh internally. It’s where we’ve been for ten years,” Bucks president Peter Feigin said on an NBATV Summer League broadcast. “Giannis loves Milwaukee, Milwaukee loves Giannis. We’re in a good place. We feel great about it. It’s business as usual.”
Bucks general manager John Horst told The Athletic’s Eric Nehm they went above and beyond to maximize Antetokounmpo’s championship window.
“We’ve done everything, I’ve done everything within my humanly possible power this offseason,” Horst told Nehm. “We do everything we can to put the next version of this thing out there, to give Doc [Rivers] and Giannis and Bobby [Portis] and Scoot [Kevin Porter Jr.] and the guys on our team every chance that they can to win every night.”
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