Giannis

Antetokounmpo Traded

How did Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bucks reach this point? A timeline of their fallout

Giannis Antetokounmpo helped raise a championship banner in Milwaukee in 2021. Now he's gone. Patrick McDermott / Getty Images

The Athletic has live coverage of the 2026 NBA Draft, including the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade.

Pericles, a Greek general during the Golden Age of Athens, once said, “Time is the wisest counselor of all.”

As the basketball world processes Giannis “the Greek Freak” Antetokounmpo’s trade to the Miami Heat, it feels like the inevitable, disappointing conclusion to an otherwise successful business partnership between one of the NBA’s premier superstars and the franchise that drafted him.

Since the Milwaukee Bucks won the 2020-21 NBA title, they’ve struggled to stay on the same page as Antetokounmpo. Those tensions ultimately culminated in a trade to the Heat after he spent his first 13 NBA seasons in Milwaukee.

Selected with the No. 15 pick in the 2013 NBA Draft, Antetokounmpo averaged 12.2 points per game over his first three seasons before blossoming into one of the league’s most promising stars. By Year 4, he was an All-Star, MVP candidate, Second Team All-Defensive selection and the NBA’s Most Improved Player, jumpstarting a four-year stretch that saw the Bucks establish the league’s second-best winning percentage (.634, trailing only the Toronto Raptors).

In 2021, Milwaukee snapped its 50-year championship drought thanks to an all-time NBA Finals performance by Antetokounmpo, who joined Hall of Famer Bob Pettit (1958) as the only players with 50 points in a title-clinching win. Antetokounmpo also became only the fifth player with multiple regular-season MVPs and a title by the age of 26, joining Pettit, Bill Russell, Tim Duncan and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

In terms of value, that’s an incredible return from using a lottery pick on a skinny, competitive prospect of a player with an elite work ethic and a hunger to lift his family out of poverty.

But time counsels.

Money and proving himself on the court are no longer issues for Antetokounmpo. Through the 2025-26 season, the 31-year-old has earned over $338 million in NBA salary, a figure bolstered by a three-year, $175.4 million contract extension he signed on Oct. 23, 2023. In that time, however, the Bucks have regressed from contender to first-round exit and lottery-bound franchise.

Experiments to keep Antetokounmpo in the fold took many forms.

The Bucks replaced Adrian Griffin with the recently retired Doc Rivers at head coach, but the results were underwhelming, as Milwaukee posted a .485 win percentage across 200 games under Rivers.

Damian Lillard spent two seasons in Milwaukee before rupturing his left Achilles and eventually returning to the Portland Trail Blazers.

Championship teammates like Khris Middleton, Jrue Holiday, Brook Lopez, Donte DiVinCenzo, Pat Connaughton and Sam Merrill (yes, an ambitious addition here) have since moved onto other teams, leaving Antetokounmpo as the final piece to what was arguably the most successful era in franchise history.

With the Bucks coming off their worst season since Antetokounmpo’s rookie campaign, let’s examine how the relationship between the two sides reached its breaking point.

Sept. 29, 2025 — Giannis declares desire to be with contender

During the Bucks’ media day, Antetokounmpo said, “I want to be on a team that allows me and gives me a chance to win a championship.” He also denied having a meeting with the Bucks’ front office in June about being committed to the franchise.

Those comments came as the Bucks entered the 2025-26 season having suffered three consecutive first-round playoff exits despite owning the NBA’s fifth-best win percentage over that span.

Dec. 3, 2025 — Giannis, Bucks discuss future

Antetokounmpo and his agent, Alex Saratsis, began discussing his future with the Bucks, whether that meant remaining in Milwaukee or eventually moving elsewhere.

Entering that day, the Bucks were 9-13, ranked 18th in net rating and were being outscored by 11.1 points per 100 possessions in 574 minutes with Antetokounmpo off the court up, according to NBA.com. Their most-used lineup to that point —Antetokounmpo, Myles Turner, Gary Trent Jr., Ryan Rollins and A.J. Green —  posted a minus-9.6 net rating.

Jan. 8, 2026 — Giannis says he wants to stay

Coming off a 120-113 loss to the Golden State Warriors, the two-time MVP told The Athletic’s Sam Amick he would never demand a trade from Milwaukee, saying such a move was not in his nature. Those comments came after speculation across the league that Antetokounmpo could seek a trade before the Feb. 5 trade deadline. The Bucks’ record stood at 16-21.

“There will never be a chance, and there will never be a moment that I will come out and say, ‘I want a trade,’ ” Antetokounmpo, who can opt out of his contract in the summer of 2027, told The Athletic. “That’s not … in … my … nature. OK?”

Milwaukee lost eight of its next 10 games.

What You Should Read Next Giannis says he will never ask for trade from Bucks: ‘That’s not in my nature’ In an exclusive interview with The Athletic, Antetokounmpo reiterated his commitment to Milwaukee but noted it's "as of today."

Jan. 13, 2026 — Bucks booed at home

Trailing by 31 points at halftime — tied for their worst halftime deficit all season — the Bucks were booed by their home crowd as frustrations reached a boiling point.

Less than a week after Antetokounmpo said he wouldn’t request a trade, Milwaukee suffered one of its eight 30-point losses of the season, doubling the franchise’s previous record set in 2007-08.

Jan. 29, 2026 — Bucks begin listening to offers

Despite Antetokounmpo insistence that he would never demand a trade, the Bucks’ front office began exploring offers for their franchise player. The Bucks ranked only 24th among all teams in net rating entering this day (minus-3.9), and were outscoring opponents by 6.1 points per 100 possessions with Antetokounmpo on the court compared to a mark of minus-5.1 when he sat.

Feb. 4, 2026 — Giannis wants to stay… under one condition

In his first phone interview with The Athletic’s Eric Nehm, Antetokounmpo, who was rehabbing an injured right calf that had sidelined him twice during the season, said he wanted to stay in Milwaukee, “but I want to be here to win.”

Although the trade deadline passed without Antetokounmpo switching addresses, little became more clear regarding his long-term future. He appeared in only six more games for the remainder of the regular season and topped 30 minutes only once in those appearances. During a March 15 loss to the Indiana Pacers, his last game as a Buck, Antetokounmpo suffered a hyperextended left knee.

What You Should Read Next Giannis on likelihood of Bucks trade: ‘I want to be here, but I want to be here to win’ “On what planet, on what Earth, would somebody want to leave this?” Giannis said when asked about finishing his career in Milwaukee.

May 12, 2026 — NBA doesn’t punish Bucks over load management

With Antetokounmpo missing the final 15 games of the regular season, questions emerged about his health status and whether the Bucks were holding him out for competitive reasons rather than medical ones. The NBA ultimately decided there was no basis for discipline. The disagreement between both parties became public when the NBPA sent a letter arguing Antetokounmpo was healthy enough to play and that the Bucks were sitting him to improve draft positioning.

“I’m available to play, but I’m not in the game,” Antetokounmpo told Milwaukee reporters on April 3. “I’m available to play today. Right now. I’m available. Do I look like I’m not available? … I don’t know what game is being played right here, I just don’t wanna be a part of it.”

June 22, 2026 – Bucks trade Giannis to Miami

After months of speculation, public statements, private conversations and mounting frustration, the Bucks finally moved on from Antetokounmpo, trading the two-time MVP to the Heat and bringing an end to one of the most successful player-franchise partnerships in the modern NBA era.

What You Should Read Next I covered Giannis Antetokounmpo’s legendary run in Milwaukee. Here’s what I learned From how he embraced the city to how he insists on speaking for himself, Giannis brought "cool" back to the Bucks. Jun 23, 2026

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