As the February 5 trade deadline approaches for this NBA season, Giannis Antetokounmpo trade talks have cooled significantly. The possibility of the two-time MVP leaving the Bucks was a dominant storyline to begin the year and picked up steam once Milwaukee hit a rough patch in the early going of the new campaign. But things have been quiet since; Antetokounmpo missed most of December with an injury and only recently returned to help the 16-21 Bucks turn things around.
But on Wednesday the Greek superstar took the opportunity to make his strongest statement yet on all the trade rumors. In an interview with Sam Amick of The Athletic, Antetokounmpo declared he will “never” ask the Bucks to trade him.
“There will never be a chance, and there will never be a moment, that I will come out and say ‘I want a trade,’” he said. “That’s not … in … my … nature. OK?”
When previously offered the opportunity to address the talk surrounding a possible departure from Milwaukee Antetokounmpo reaffirmed his commitment to his team but didn’t do much else to squelch the noise. This seems to be a more deliberate attempt to make it clear that he’ll never be one of those superstars who demands his team find him a new home.
However, in what has become his habit, Antetokounmpo hedged a bit when he discussed the situation at greater length. He said he “can’t control” what his agent might be speaking about with the team, which is notable given reports from earlier in the year that the Bucks held discussions with his agent about whether a trade would be in everybody’s best interest. And when asked directly if he had decided to stay with the Bucks past this year’s deadline, the superstar forward said “As of today.”
But he still reaffirmed his commitment to this particular team in as strong words as possible.
“I am not (going anywhere). I am invested in this team. I want to turn this team around. I want to play good basketball. I want to be healthy. I want to help my teammates. I wanna win games. The last six games we’ve played, we’re 4-2. We have a lot of games in front of us. I’m locked the f— in. I’m locked in. My priority is just staying healthy.”
Antetokounmpo has missed 14 games so far this season and is averaging 29.5 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 5.5 assists per game. He is still more than capable of leading his team to wins in great quantity but his supporting cast hasn’t stepped up more often than not. In a weak Eastern Conference and a lot of season left to go, there’s plenty of reason to believe Milwaukee can climb the standings as the season moves further into 2026. The deadline will still prove pivotal even in light of Antetokounmpo’s comments, too; Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix reported recently the team is targeting wing help, with Zach LaVine and Malik Monk emerging as potential options.
The pressure is on to win in Milwaukee, but Antetokounmpo does not seem on the verge of asking out. As of today, anyway.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Giannis Antetokounmpo Makes Strong Statement About Possible Trade From Bucks.
