Jamal CollierJan 8, 2026, 12:22 PM ET
- Jamal Collier is an NBA reporter at ESPN. Collier covers the Milwaukee Bucks, Chicago Bulls and the Midwest region of the NBA, including stories such as Minnesota's iconic jersey swap between Anthony Edwards and Justin Jefferson. He has been at ESPN since Sept. 2021 and previously covered the Bulls for the Chicago Tribune. You can reach out to Jamal on Twitter @JamalCollier or via email [email protected].
Giannis Antetokounmpo's future has loomed over the 2025-26 season, but the two-time MVP insisted that he will never demand a trade from Milwaukee.
"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 told the Athletic following Wednesday's 120-113 loss to the Golden State Warriors. "That's not in my nature."
With about a month to go before the NBA trade deadline, Antetokounmpo reiterated his commitment to Milwaukee for the rest of this season and beyond.
"My plan is to be here for the rest of my career," Antetokounmpo said. "If they don't want me ...I'm not the one in charge. I am an employee."
ESPN reported last month that the Bucks have not engaged teams about a potential Antetokounmpo trade and instead were focused on adding to their roster to try and build around their star forward.
Antetokounmpo, who turned 31 in December, is averaging 29.5 points, 10 rebounds and 5.5 assists this season despite missing 14 games due to injury. Despite putting up some of the best numbers of his career, the Bucks are in 11th place in the Eastern Conference at 16-21, which has caused Antetokounmpo to emphasize a message of urgency in recent weeks.
"I am not [going anywhere]," Antetokounmpo told the Athletic. "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 want to 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."
ESPN reported before the start of the season that the Bucks and Knicks discussed a potential trade over the summer with New York emerging as Antetokounmpo's preferred destination. Antetokounmpo acknowledged his own wandering eye during the offseason, but said at the start of the season that he was committed to the Bucks, although it would be human to "change his mind."
Yet, Antetokounmpo has attempted to distance himself from the trade chatter on several occasions this season.
Twice last month, he reiterated that he was "locked in" and talks from his agent were out of his hands and again when he said "it's disrespectful towards the organization, my coaching staff, myself and all the people that work hard for me to come out here and say, 'I don't want to be here.'"
A key crossroads still exists for Antetokounmpo when he becomes eligible for a four-year, $275 million extension on Oct. 1. He also holds an opt-out in his current contract in the summer of 2027. Antetokounmpo's decisions there still could give him significant sway about any future moves.
Yet, as the season nears its halfway point, Antetokounmpo said his focus was not on the trade deadline, but on finding a way to salvage this Bucks season.
"Today, I am committed -- not 100 percent, but 1 million percent to my teammates, to my craft, to this team and to this city," he said. "One million percent. I don't look right. I don't look left. I look only to the next game, which is the Lakers, and I want to win the game. I want us to stack wins before the All-Star Game to get ourselves back to the race. We're what, 11th now? This is not who we are, you know? So that's the only thing in my mindset."
