The Milwaukee Bucks were one of the most intriguing teams heading into the 2025-26 NBA season. Just four years removed from a championship in 2021, there were rumors swirling that two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo wanted out, thinking he had a better chance of winning a title elsewhere.
After the first two weeks of this season, however, those rumors are suddenly growing quieter, as the Bucks have gotten off to a 5-3 start and are fifth in the Eastern Conference standings. Scouts now believe the Bucks have a real shot to contend.
“Their supporting cast has been better than expected,” a West scout said, per ESPN’s Tim Bontemps. “They’ve had some early success I didn’t foresee, for sure. Is it sustainable? I don’t know. But for the time being, they’ve certainly jumped out to a start I didn’t see happening.”
A key piece of the Bucks possibly returning to the NBA Finals will be holding onto Antetokounmpo, who’s off to arguably the best start of his career (averaging 32.3 points per game on 67.7% shooting from the field). An East scout told ESPN’s Brian Windhorst that Milwaukee can be dangerous on offense with their star player as the focal point.
Giannis Antetokounmpo Has Been Subject of Trade Rumors
For months, there have been whispers that Antetokounmpo is no longer happy in Milwaukee. The Bucks looked far away from hoisting another Larry O’Brien trophy this past year when they were bounced in the first round of the playoffs by the Indiana Pacers, leading to frustration from Antetokounmpo’s camp.
According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, Antetokounmpo’s representatives did their research over the summer on the best possible fits for the big man should he decide to push for a trade. The New York Knicks emerged as the only team Antetokounmpo wanted to go to outside of Milwaukee.
Ultimately, the Bucks and the Knicks didn’t gain any traction on a deal, and Antetokounmpo stayed put. Milwaukee also showed the “Greek Freak” the team is committed to winning by waiving the injured Damian Lillard and subsequently signing Myles Turner to a four-year $107 million deal.
Bucks Can Contend In Wide-Open East
The Bucks have gotten off to a strong start with Antetokounmpo as their main facilitator on offense. Milwaukee is top-10 in points per game, three point percentage and offensive rating and is showing no signs of slowing down.
“Point Giannis is a pretty good plan,” the East scout told Windhorst. “He’s also taking about three-quarters [65%] of his shots at the rim, and he’s dunking like 10 times a game [4.5, but that would be a career best], so that makes everyone look better.”
Adding to Milwaukee’s chances of advancing out of the East is the fact that many of the conference’s best teams from the past couple of years are missing their best players due to injury. Jayson Tatum tore his achilles in the playoffs last year, leaving the Boston Celtics without the All-NBA guard for most of 2025-26. The Pacers lost Tyrese Haliburton for the year when he went down with the same injury in Game 7 of the NBA Finals.
If the Bucks can keep Antetokounmpo in the fold this season, it will likely be their best shot at winning a title since 2021.
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