From the time it was announced that the Milwaukee Bucks were listening to Giannis Antetokounmpo trade offers, it was clear that the team could always drag this out in the summer. With Giannis under contract for at least another season, the team is in no rush to trade him if they don't get an offer they find fitting. Apparently, nothing has jumped out at them to this point.
A Western Conference executive told ESPN's Tim Bontemps that everyone is waiting for a Giannis deal to go down in the summer rather than the trade deadline. NBA insider Jake Fischer thinks it is more likely that Giannis gets moved in the summer. These two aren't alone, as many reports have expressed that exact same belief.
All signs point to Giannis sticking in Milwaukee until at least the summertime.
Bucks should be in no rush to trade Giannis with current offers
The Milwaukee Bucks have no incentive to trade Giannis before the deadline unless they are blown away by an offer. With the four rumored suitors (Golden State, Miami, New York, and Minnesota), it's not surprising that Giannis is still wearing green. None of those teams have a star-studded package that should entice Milwaukee enough to trade Giannis right now.
Miami is the closest, but even with them, their offer needs work.
The Bucks are better off seeing what they can get for Giannis in a few months. Then, they will have a better idea of the NBA Draft order, and teams will gain access to more draft picks to send Milwaukee's direction. Currently, most of the interested Giannis suitors outside of Golden State are limited in just how much draft capital they can send to Milwaukee, who needs to take as much as they acquire.
There could also be an added sense of urgency from interested parties in the summer. As pointed out by that Western Conference executive who talked to Bontemps, "Disappointment leads to action." If a team that wasn't particularly interested in Giannis suffers an early playoff exit, perhaps the thought of bringing in a top-three player in the world becomes more enticing.
The Milwaukee Bucks should put their feet up over the next several days and simply listen to what teams have to say. Unless they make an unbelievable once-in-a-lifetime offer, they have no reason to pounce. They have the leverage in this situation. It makes plenty of sense to get teams on the hook and then circle back this summer.
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