Why Milwaukee’s Silence on Giannis Trade Talks with Rockets Is Raising Eyebrows Across the NBA

The only way the Milwaukee Bucks are ever going to trade Giannis Antetokounmpo is if he asks for a trade. He did not.

The Bucks are not trading Antetokounmpo unless he asks. Knowing that, Antetokounmpo has used that leverage to get the Bucks to make all-in moves, such as trading for Damian Lillard, or then waiving and stretching Lillard to sign Myles Turner.Eventually, Antetokounmpo may ask out. However, until he does, every call to Horst checking on Antetokounmpo’s status will go a lot like Stone’s did.A player of Antetokounmpo’s status does far more than just help a small-to-mid-sized market win on the court, he makes the business profitable — the Bucks sell a lot of seats in the Fiserve Forum, and Milwaukee gets a lot of sponsorship dollars coming in, because companies want to be associated with Antetokounmpo and being on national television so much because of him. The franchise value is higher with him on the roster. Walk through the blocks around the Fiserve Forum before a Bucks game, and restaurants and bars are busy and pulsing with energy. What does that look like during year three of the rebuild?“I deal well with [Bucks GM] Jon Horst, I really like him. Jon was very clear that they weren’t doing anything. So, that was that.”“It was long. Like, we understood what they wanted to get for Kevin, and it just didn’t make sense for our team, starting, I don’t know, a year ago. So, there were all these conversations, and it was a very, very long process…

Stone pivoted and landed Kevin Durant instead, a player who makes Houston a legitimate threat to win the West this season. Stone also discussed the Durant trade process during the interview.“Obviously, we did the trade. We’re really happy with it. I’ve gotten to know Kevin a little bit, and I’m really happy with him as a person. But the flip side of that is Dillon [Brooks] and Jalen [Green] were just awesome. As people and as co-workers, they were amazing.”While other teams know that, they have to at least check on the possibility, and the Rockets GM, Rafael Stone, talked about doing so in a recent ESPN Radio Houston appearance (hat tip Real GM). To be clear, Stone would get fined for discussing Antetokounmpo directly — team officials cannot discuss a player under contract with another team — so the hosts asked him about potential blockbuster trades such as “the big man from Greece in Milwaukee,” and Stone responded without mentioning names.While some pundits floated the idea of the Bucks initiating a trade for Antetokounmpo as a good basketball move — “if they’re not title contenders anymore, better to pull the rip cord early and jumpstart the next rebuild” — that’s living in a fantasy basketball world devoid of NBA reality. Milwaukee has a better chance of winning a title with a top-three player in the world on their roster than they do without, and getting players of that level to Milwaukee is a once-in-a-generation thing. As for the Bucks’ fans, ask Nico Harrison and the Mavericks about what happens when a fan favorite and franchise anchor is traded early (Dallas got bailed out by the NBA Draft Lottery or that anger would still be a story). Look, let’s get this straight from the jump—the Milwaukee Bucks aren’t parting ways with Giannis Antetokounmpo unless he himself waves the white flag. And spoiler alert: that moment hasn’t come yet. Sure, every NBA GM worth his salt has to run the numbers and ask the uncomfortable questions—because that’s the game—but as Houston Rockets’ GM Rafael Stone shared on ESPN Radio Houston, Milwaukee’s front office, led by Jon Horst, is crystal clear: Giannis stays put. Now, Stone couldn’t lay it all out in the open, thanks to those pesky NBA rules about talking clients, so he danced around the topic with a knowing nod to “the big man from Greece.” Meanwhile, Houston snagged Kevin Durant, turning heads and reshaping the Western Conference landscape. While some keyboard warriors dream about the Bucks hitting the reset button early, that’s just wishful thinking—Giannis is not only a top-tier talent; he’s the lifeblood of Milwaukee’s basketball and business ecosystem. From packed stands at Fiserv Forum to bustling bars nearby, the Bucks’ vitality pulses through the city. Until Giannis drops the trade dime, calls to Horst will keep getting the same courteous stonewall Stone encountered. It’s a chess match, and Milwaukee holds the queen. LEARN MORE