Trade talks loom as Antetokounmpo looks to leave Bucks

With the NBA season already past the halfway mark, teams across the league are starting to understand where they sit in the playoff landscape.

As the Milwaukee Bucks and Washington Wizards prepared to face off in the nation's capital on Thursday, both organizations were beginning to focus more on the future than the present.

For the Bucks, their future appears likely to be without star Giannis Antetokounmpo, who is sidelined with a calf injury. According to ESPN, Antetokounmpo is "ready for a new home", and Milwaukee has started to accept offers with the Feb 5 trade deadline looming.

If Antetokounmpo is dealt over the next week, it would create a seismic shift around the league. For Milwaukee, it would mark the start of a new era without Antetokounmpo, who delivered an NBA title to the Bucks and is one of the most dominant players in franchise history.

In the last meeting between the two teams on New Year's Eve, it was Antetokounmpo who led all scorers with 33 points in the Wizards' 114-113 win.

Miami Heat, Minnesota Timberwolves, the New York Knicks and the Golden State Warriors are among the suitors for the Greek star, with Evan Sidery of Forbes Sport suggesting on X that the latter are in the box seat.

He noted that if a straight twoteam trade for Jimmy Butler isn't enough to seal the deal, Golden State will likely offer up Jonathan Kuminga, who recently requested a trade, Brandin Podziemski and "their entire cupboard" of draft picks, to ensure Antetokounmpo heads west.

Milwaukee native Podziemski told The Athletic ahead of the Warriors' game against Utah Jazz on Wednesday that it would be "different to see Antetokounmpo in another jersey".

Podziemski, who grew up rooting for the Bucks and for Antetokounmpo said he's "one of those guys you visualize being with one franchise their whole career. It would definitely be different, and pretty awkward, I would say, for a lot of people".

The rumored Warriors package was corroborated by sources who spoke to Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix.

According to Sports Illustrated, the Heat have the second best offer, with first-round picks in 2030, 2032 and a swap in 2031 to trade.

The Bucks, however, are under no obligation to do anything before next week's deadline, and might choose to wait until the offseason, when more suitors and better offers, unimpeded by luxury taxes and other financial restrictions, may present themselves.

Their immediate focus will be on what happens on the court. And, for Milwaukee to get back on track, it will depend on Myles Turner, Kyle Kuzma, Bobby Portis and Ryan Rollins.

In a 139-122 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday, those four players combined to score 89 points, with Turner leading the way with 31. Rollins added 24, while Kuzma and Portis each scored 17.

"I love (what we did) offensively, which has been our concern," Bucks head coach Doc Rivers said.

"We missed eight layups tonight and we could've had a lot more points."