NBA trade rumors: Warriors 'most aggressive' in pursuit of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bucks 'asking for the moon'

We are now inside a week away from the NBA trade deadline and all of the focus remains on the Milwaukee Bucks and what they will do with Giannis Antetokounmpo. 

Reports indicate the Bucks are now seriously listening to offers on their franchise cornerstone. Antetokounmpo still has not made an official trade request, but has indicated he's "ready for a new home," which is the closest thing to a trade request without actually demanding one. 

Everything hinges on Antetokounmpo, as we won't see any other big names moved -- like Ja Morant or Anthony Davis -- before there's clarity on Antetokounmpo's availability at the deadline. If the Bucks are serious about engaging in trade talks, plenty of teams will make overtures, but there aren't many that can easily make an offer to meet the Bucks' demands right now. 

Ranking Giannis Antetokounmpo trade packages: Who can make best deadline offer?

Brad Botkin

That leaves the Bucks in a tricky spot where they'll need to decide whether it's worth dragging this out into the summer when more teams can make stronger offers with regards to draft assets, or if there's a strong enough offer to move Antetokounmpo before Feb. 5. 

That leads us to the latest rumblings from around the league, which unsurprisingly focuses on Antetokounmpo and the team that figures to push hardest for a trade over the next week. 

Why Warriors will be most aggressive Giannis suitor

After seeing Jimmy Butler's season end with a torn ACL, the Golden State Warriors faced a crisis in trying to salvage this season, which figured to be one of the last chances to contend with Stephen Curry. Now that Antetokounmpo is potentially available, they may be thrown a lifeline, but they will need to finally unload the future picks they've been so loath to trade in the past. 

Because they have four future first-round picks at their disposal, they are the team with the best chance to make a two-team deal with the Bucks. And as Brian Windhorst laid out on ESPN on Friday, they're the team with the best chance to land Antetokounmpo by next Thursday. 

"If there is a deal thats going to be done before the deadline, in my belief, Golden State is the team to make that deal," Windhorst said. "Because the other teams have to get third and fourth teams involved, and that is why Golden State is going to probably be the most aggressive between now and Thursday. Their best position is doing the deal before next Thursday." 

Teams like the New York Knicks, Miami Heat and Minnesota Timberwolves lack the volume of tradable draft assets the Warriors have, and the Bucks will be asking for multiple first rounders in return. As Windhorst notes, that means they need to loop in other teams interested in trading first-round picks for some of their players, and any time you have to expand a trade to three or four (or more) teams, the likelihood of a deal actually coming together goes down considerably. 

Those teams might be better served waiting until this summer before the 2026 NBA Draft, when they'd be eligible to trade their 2026 pick along with their other future picks. That is why Windhorst notes Golden State isn't just the most likely team to make a trade before the deadline, but the team with the most reason to push hard to get it done by Thursday. 

The Warriors' best offer won't change much this summer, but their top competitors on the market will be able to improve theirs. That means their window to be the clear best option for the Bucks is right now, but they also have to convince Antetokounmpo it's in his best interests to join forces with Curry. 

We can talk all we want about the best trade packages, but none of it matters if the Warriors aren't high up on Antetokounmpo's wish list. As we've seen numerous times in recent years, the superstar holds plenty of control in these situations. And with Antetokounmpo able to hit free agency after the 2026-27 season, Golden State wouldn't part with their best offer without securing a commitment from Antetokounmpo's camp that he'll sign a long-term extension once able. 

Bucks asking 'for the moon' in Giannis trade talks

In related news, while the Bucks are willing to entertain trade talks about Antetokounmpo, they aren't willing to discuss any discounted rates just yet. Because Antetokounmpo has not demanded a trade or even provided the Bucks with a short list of one or two teams he would be interested in, Milwaukee is still operating with plenty of leverage in trade talks and asking teams to pay full price for the 31-year-old star. 

"They're asking for the moon," one general manager told The Stein Line on Thursday morning. "All of your young players and all of your draft picks."

That line points to the Bucks understanding this is their one chance at a true reset after spending the past five years exhausting their resources to try and keep Antetokounmpo happy. After initially hitting with the Jrue Holiday deal and winning a title, their acquisitions for Damian Lillard and Myles Turner -- stretching Lillard's salary in what appears to have been an ill-fated decision -- have not gone according to plan. 

The Bucks desperately need to reload in terms of draft assets and shift toward a youth movement, which is why they have to nail an Antetokounmpo trade. Moving on from a franchise player is never easy and rarely does it result in a quick bounce back, but the Bucks have to lay the foundation for the future with this trade -- and then hit on the resulting draft picks. That's clearly understood in the Milwaukee front office, and it points to why a team like Golden State, with four future firsts at their disposal, would have the best chance at this point to land Antetokounmpo.