Giannis Antetokounmpo has been the most talked about player ahead of the NBA trade deadline on Thursday, Feb. 5 as he’s been rumored for nearly a year now to be traded away from the Bucks. Reports continue to come out saying Antetokounmpo will inevitably leave Milwaukee, yet Antetokounmpo himself hasn’t explicitly said what he would prefer to do. He remains committed to the Bucks as long as he’s there.
ESPN asked Milwaukee coach Doc Rivers about the trade rumors surrounding Antetokounmpo, and it sounds like Rivers truly believes Antetokounmpo will remain a Buck after Thursday. He’s just waiting fot the trade deadline to pass so this storyling is squashed.
“Giannis has said everything that we need to hear. That he wants to be a Buck, he loves the city. That's all I can go by as a coach right now,” Rivers said.
“Has it been difficult? Yeah, your players every day have to hear stuff, every single day about not just their best player, but they’re thrown in the mix as well," Rivers added. "My favorite day of the year this year will be the day after the trade deadline ... because I think everyone will be here and we can get to, you know what I’m saying.”
"Giannis has said everything that we need to hear. That he wants to be a Buck, he loves the city. That's all I can go by as a coach right now."
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) February 1, 2026
Bucks head coach Doc Rivers on the Giannis trade reports 🏀 pic.twitter.com/xhfPat3Nv2
Antetokounmpo himself has said he will never request to be traded from the Bucks, and he’s stayed true to his word thus far. It all depends on how the Bucks feel about a potential trade to gain other stars in the league in return for sending Antetokounmpo elsewhere. Multiple teams are definitely interested in the two-time MVP.
One big issue is that Antetokounmpo is expected to miss the majority of February with a calf injury. It’s possible teams could wait to officially trade for him until the offseason because of injury concern.
Rivers confidently believes the Bucks will keep Antetokounmpo on the roster for the remainder of the 2025-26 season. We’ll see what happens this week.
The Bucks currently sit in 12th in the Eastern Conference with an 18–28 record. Milwaukee will need a major spark if they want a chance of making the playoffs. Antetokounmpo has said previously that he wants to be with a team that wins—the Bucks aren’t looking to be that team this year.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Bucks’ Doc Rivers Comments on Giannis Antetokoumpo Trade Talks.
