The Bucks are at a crossroads. The team’s championship window is closing faster than anyone wants to admit, and trading Giannis—however unthinkable it once seemed—could be the smartest move Milwaukee makes this decade. Here’s why the Bucks should act now.
1. The Championship Core Is Aging and Declining
The Bucks’ 2021 title run relied heavily on Giannis, Brook, Khris Middleton, and Jrue Holiday. Fast forward to 2025, and the supporting cast around Giannis isn’t what it used to be. Middleton and Jrue are gone. The Bucks gambled on Lillard to extend their contention window, but his fit alongside Giannis has been clunky at times, with overlapping skill sets and a lack of perimeter creation beyond Dame’s pull-up game. I have already written why a championship run for the Bucks is no longer on the cards in details here.
Giannis, at 30 can’t carry the roster. He probably never did, more of a regular season try hard than a playoff player. In more than a decade he has one and only deep playoff run which was probably an extremely lucky fluke. The Bucks’ supporting players—like Brook Lopez (37) and Pat Connaughton (32)—are past their peak, and the team lacks the young, athletic talent needed to keep up with the league’s rising powers like Boston, Denver, or Oklahoma City. Trading Giannis now, while his value is sky-high, could net a haul of young players and picks to rebuild around.
2. The Eastern Conference Is a Gauntlet
The East is stacked. The Boston Celtics remain a juggernaut with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown hitting their primes. The Cleveland Cavaliers are deep and versatile, and teams like the Knicks and Pacers are trending upward. Everyone is making moves and changing things up because, well, they don’t have Giannis who is rather difficult to play around. The Bucks have slipped from their perch atop the conference. Their 2024-25 season has been marred by inconsistent play and a first-round playoff exit last year still stings. Trading Giannis will allow the Bucks to retool and avoid years of first-round exits or play-in mediocrity.
3. Giannis’ Trade Value has been falling this year
Giannis’ contract runs through 2027-28 (with a player option in the final year), giving any acquiring team several years of control. Right now, he’s the kind of asset that could fetch a decent price —think multiple All-Star-level players, a slew of first-round picks, and salary filler. Imagine a package from a team like the Miami Heat (Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro, and picks). But his value is falling fast. Of course I don’t think the Warriors want him and most superstars wouldn’t want to be on a team with Giannis. It also seems as if Giannis is uncoachable.
If the Bucks wait too long, injuries or an even bigger dip in performance will further erode his value. The NBA is a business, and cashing in on Giannis ensures Milwaukee maximises their return rather than clinging to a fast fading star. There have been many instances this year where Giannis has looked really really bad. Getting shut down easily by Draymond Green or Isiah Hertenstein for example. It feels like most teams now have a defender that can stop Giannis when it counts. Bad 4th quarter performances, there have been plenty. Airballs on national TV. Go through his stats and there is nothing he is doing better than the 2019 season, almost everything has headed downhill. Giannis is a floor spacing nightmare a fact that became very obvious in the different way he was used in the Paris Olympics.
4. The Bucks’ Future Assets Are Depleted
The Lillard trade gutted Milwaukee’s draft capital and young talent pool. Giannis demanded it but hadn’t really thought it through. They owe picks to Portland and have few prospects to build around. Without fresh blood, the Bucks risk becoming the post-LeBron Cavaliers, teams that clung to past glory too long without making changes. Trading Giannis could replenish their war chest, giving them the flexibility to pivot toward a new era rather than doubling down on a roster that’s running on fumes.
A rebuild doesn’t have to mean tanking. With the right trade, Milwaukee could land a young star (like a Chet Holmgren from OKC or an Anthony Edwards from Minnesota, if the stars align) and build a competitive team for the next decade. If only they had traded him right after winning the championship, they could be in the position of OKC!
5. Giannis Might Want Out Soon Anyway
Let’s not ignore the elephant in the room: Giannis’ patience could be wearing thin. He’s been vocal about wanting to win, and after the Bucks’ recent struggles, rumours have swirled about his long-term commitment. In 2023, he hinted at leaving if Milwaukee couldn’t contend, saying, “If I don’t feel like we’re moving forward, I’m not the type of guy who’s going to stick around.” If Giannis demands a trade in 2026 or walks as a free agent in 2028, the Bucks could get far less—or nothing at all. I have written that no save can save the Bucks and i mean it. There is no fast fix, only long term.
Trading him now lets Milwaukee control the narrative and secure assets, rather than risking a messy divorce later. It’s proactive, not reactive.
6. A Fresh Start Could Benefit Both Sides
Giannis deserves to chase more rings, and the Bucks deserve a chance to redefine their identity. Sending him to a contender gives him a shot at more hardware. Meanwhile, Milwaukee can shift gears, develop new talent, and avoid the stagnation that plagues small-market teams after their stars fade.
Sure, some will say, “You don’t trade a top-five player!” And yes, Giannis is the Bucks’ biggest draw—attendance and jersey sales would take a hit. But loyalty can’t trump logic. The Bucks won’t contend with this roster, and keeping Giannis out of sentimentality risks wasting their future. Others might argue the Bucks should retool around him, but with no picks and an aging core, that’s a pipe dream. To be honest despite the marketing hype, Giannis is no longer looking like a top five player. Maybe a regular season top player but he can’t do clutch and that matters when you are chasing rings.
Trading Giannis Antetokounmpo would be gut-wrenching for Bucks fans. He’s the greatest player in franchise history, a homegrown legend who was part of a title to a city that hadn’t won one in 50 years. But the NBA moves fast, and clinging to the past rarely works. By trading him now—on March 23, 2025, or as soon as the market heats up—the Bucks can secure their future, avoid a slow decline, and give Giannis a chance to keep winning elsewhere. It’s not about giving up; it’s about being smart. The time to act is now.
I don’t actually think the Bucks will trade him. They can’t get much for him at all anymore. Giannis will prefer to stay and continue the narrative of the rest of the roster being to blame for everything. He will stat pad furiously and break every franchise record, pretend he was being loyal, whereas in fact he is just plain chicken, scared that he will fail wherever else he goes after all the talk about “not joining a superteam” and “doing it the right way”.
