Players must know something insiders don't after fresh Giannis update

In the media and even in the Milwaukee Bucks' own fanbase, the likelihood of a Giannis Antetokounmpo trade this summer is increasingly discussed on a spectrum between plausible and inevitable. Well, Antetokounmpo's peers offer some pushback. In a poll conducted by The Athletic, 151 players answered the question of which roster is most likely to include Giannis next year
(subscription required). The winner? Milwaukee, by a mile. 

Bucks still favorite to be Giannis' team in 2026-27

45.7 percent of respondents answered "Bucks." That's more than double the next closest answer, represented by Miami with 23.2 percent of the vote. The Knicks won a 16.6 percent share. A dozen teams fought over the remaining sliver of the pie, led by the Lakers with 3.3 percent of responses. 

This paints a much different picture than the one propped up by respected insiders and regurgitated on talk shows and podcasts. Listen to that narrative and Giannis is already on his way out the door. Ask NBA players themselves and that outcome is less likely. What do they know that league insiders don't?

The elephant in the room, of course, is that the players still think Giannis will be traded. That 45.7 percent is a plurality of votes, not a majority. 54.3 percent believe Antetokounmpo will leave the Bucks. They just don't agree on where he will go. 

One other caveat: the poll was conducted between "late February and early April." The poll does not account for anything that has happened since then to change players' minds. 

Players depict murkier picture than consensus 'certainty'

Actually, not much has changed on the Giannis front since the end of the NBA season. Shams Charania's report that the Bucks are open to offers for the Greek Freak amounts to saying that the ground is open to receiving rain. Nothing new there. 

After taking the market temperature at the trade deadline, Milwaukee was always going to listen to offers. Co-owner Jimmy Haslam said a decision will be made before the draft. Thanks, anyway, Shams.

About the other thing: yes, players still believe Giannis will be traded, but they have it much closer to a coin flip than the seeming consensus. It's also worth noting that the Knicks aren't necessarily a realistic destination. They lack the resources to tempt the Bucks, who might dismiss New York as a suitor altogether when push comes to shove. 

Miami, on the other hand, could put forth a strong offer. Perhaps the winning offer emerges from an expected player in the game. At this point, many fans just want the whole thing over and done with. Stay or go. Just decide. 

It does feel like a trade is where Giannis and the Bucks are headed, but according to NBA players, perhaps it's not the done deal "sources" would have us believe. 

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