Bucks 2026 NBA trade deadline grade after keeping Giannis Antetokounmpo

The trade deadline came and went and Giannis Antetokounmpo is still a member of the Milwaukee Bucks after much consternation. It sure looked as though Antetokounmpo’s eyes were wandering, and that for the first time ever, a trade out of the Cream City seemed more realistic than ever. But in the end, the Bucks did not pull the trigger — a refusal that rang loudly across the association.

The Bucks organization has been in decline over the past few years, and their big offseason move was one that reeked of desperation. Instead of taking 2026 as a gap year, they decided to waive and stretch Damian Lillard’s contract amid his recovery from a ruptured Achilles just so they could bring Myles Turner in. Suffice to say, bringing Turner in hasn’t nearly been enough to make Milwaukee a playoff team, let alone a contending one, even in the weaker Eastern Conference.

Now, the Bucks are in a tough position moving forward, although they can always revisit Antetokounmpo trade talks come offseason time. Their long-term outlook hasn’t changed, although it’s still up for debate if they did the right thing by taking these trade talks into the offseason instead of cashing in prior to the deadline.

Bucks did not get any sufficient Giannis Antetokounmpo trade offers

The Antetokounmpo trade saga became the most anticipated notification of the pre-deadline season. Every NBA fan was refreshing their feeds on social media, awaiting the next tweet from noted NBA insider Shams Charania and eagerly anticipating the next update regarding trade talks involving the Bucks.

In the end, all Charania did was continuously tease fans with breadcrumbs and non-updates until he reported that the Bucks were indeed going to hold on to Antetokounmpo instead, dragging trade talks all the way to the offseason.

It’s never going to be easy to part ways with a franchise cornerstone, especially one who’s done so much for the Bucks like Antetokounmpo has. The city of Milwaukee has also embraced Antetokounmpo as one of their own; he’s been there since 2013 and he’s progressed into one of the greatest superstars the league has ever seen under their watch.

So try as the Minnesota Timberwolves, Miami Heat, or Golden State Warriors might have done, it was always going to take a godfather offer for the Bucks to even consider trading the greatest player in franchise history. Antetokounmpo may have said that it’s hard for him not to take a look around considering how the team around him has fallen apart, but he hasn’t expressly given a mandate that he demands to be traded away.

With Antetokounmpo not exactly pressing the issue, it’s hard to criticize the Bucks for not trading Giannis away just yet. Giannis has long expressed a desire to be a one-team player for the rest of his career, but he also wants to compete for championships. Perhaps there is a chance, no matter how slim, that a contending team still blooms in Milwaukee while he’s still in his prime.

But in all likelihood, the Bucks are going to continue to struggle for the next few seasons, and if Antetokounmpo’s desire to win another championship takes precedent over his desire to stay in Milwaukee, then the team has no choice but to trade him on the final year of his contract.

One could argue that even if Antetokounmpo had pushed the issue regarding a potential trade, the Bucks would have been best served by doing what they did and wait until the offseason. The Warriors’ picks looked very enticing, but gambling on a pick-heavy return in exchange for the greatest player in franchise history is a risky game.

The Heat don’t have the blue-chip prospects to add to the future first-round picks they could trade away; conceivably, any and every realistic Heat trade offer for Giannis revolves around Bam Adebayo, and trading Adebayo away for Antetokounmpo instead of pairing them together seems counterintuitive for a team with championship aspirations.

As for the Timberwolves, try as they might, they simply could not muster enough draft capital to convince the Bucks to trade Antetokounmpo to the most northern part of the United States. Minnesota may have been willing to trade Jaden McDaniels away, but they were unable to acquire enough first-round picks for some of their key players, including Julius Randle, to get the deal over the line.

Limiting themselves to suitors prior to the deadline doesn’t serve the Bucks in any shape or form; they should just about get similar offers come offseason time, although being in the offseason opens up more opportunities for other bidders to join the Giannis sweepstakes, which should then benefit Milwaukee in the long run.

At the end of the day, the Bucks have to prioritize getting the best package available in any potential Giannis trade.

Perhaps the Houston Rockets become more open to trading someone like Alperen Sengun or Amen Thompson if they flame out early in the playoffs. Maybe the Oklahoma City Thunder put Jalen Williams on the table if they don’t repeat as champion. Or perhaps the Spurs revisit a potential Giannis pursuit to try and get over the hump if they fall short in the postseason.

The Bucks at least have the luxury of waiting, although they don’t have much time considering that Giannis will be hitting the open market in 2027 as thing stand.

Milwaukee pulls off a few buy-low moves

The Bucks settled for a few buy-low moves prior to the deadline, bringing in former Thunder prospect Ousmane Dieng and giving Cam Thomas a shot after he was let go by the Brooklyn Nets.

Thomas is still just 24 years of age and he’s a certified bucket, so there’s still some untapped potential there perhaps. Meanwhile, Dieng is showcasing immense two-way potential, as evidenced by his 19-point, 11-rebound, four-block night against the Thunder in their last game before the All-Star break.

For a team severely lacking assets like the Bucks are, this is the smart thing to do: take chances on players who’ve lost their luster but may have some untapped potential just yet.

Bucks’ trade deadline grade: B

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