Giannis Antetokounmpo says he 'will never' request a trade from the Bucks

Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News on Jan 8, 2026

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NEW YORK — The NBA trade deadline is less than a month away, and Giannis Antetokounmpo doesn’t sound like somebody who expects to be dealt.

Antetokounmpo told The Athletic that he “will never” request a trade from the Milwaukee Bucks amid widespread speculation around his future.

“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 said Wednesday night, according to an interview published Thursday.

“My plan is to be here for the rest of my career. If they don’t want me … I’m not the one in charge. I am an employee.”

Antetokounmpo’s comments come a little over a month after ESPN reported the two-time NBA MVP and the Bucks were discussing whether his future was in Milwaukee or whether it made sense for the 31-year-old forward to continue his career somewhere else.

Since they won the NBA Finals in 2021, the Bucks have won only one playoff series, and they’ve suffered first-round exits in each of the last three postseasons.

Milwaukee is 16-21 this season, good for 11th place in the Eastern Conference.

“I am not (going anywhere). I am invested in this team,” Antetokounmpo told The Athletic. “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.”

In October, ESPN reported that Antetokounmpo eyed the Knicks as a possible destination, and that the Knicks and Bucks even discussed what a trade might look like.

But on Monday, Knicks owner James Dolan said he was unaware of any offseason trade talks involving Antetokounmpo.

“We love our team right now,” Dolan said on WFAN. “They have chemistry. They all like each other. I’ve never seen a locker room more copacetic. There’s a lot of energy in there. Leon [Rose] can always overrule me, but I don’t see us making a big change. We’ve got to keep building up this group. This group can win a championship.”

Antetokounmpo is averaging 29.5 points, 10.0 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game this season.

The NBA trade deadline is Feb. 5.