The Giannis Antetokounmpo sweepstakes have officially began with the Milwaukee Bucks opening the window to finally listen to trade offers for their superstar.
Two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo is ready for a new home at the Feb. 5 NBA trade deadline or in the offseason as several rival teams make aggressive offers to the Milwaukee Bucks for him, and the franchise is starting to listen, league sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/OejatbQjDy
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 28, 2026
After an offseason full of rumors that the two-time MVP would request out, the Greek Freak gave the team he began his career with one last opportunity to build a contender around him that would allow for him to believe his goals of winning another NBA championship was feasible with the Bucks.
Antetokounmpo made his aspirations to contend clear and with Milwaukee understanding that building a playoff-caliber team would likely be their last chance to secure a long-term commitment from the star, the team made a flurry of offseason moves inlcuding adding the top big man on the open market in Myles Turner and several high-upside role players.
Still, those moves haven't proved to be impactful enough through the start of this season, which led to the 31-year-old making his desire for a fresh start clear over recent days.
With the NBA trade deadline just over a week away, nearly every team in the league will explore every avenue to get involved in the Antetokounmpo sweepstakes.
Obviously, only playoff contenders will be of interest to the playmaker, especially considering his goals to contend sooner rather than later.
Nonetheless, for a trade to work within the new CBA guidelines, there's no doubt that at least one of two teams will be involved to help facilitate a deal and minimize the headaches for all sides involved.
That said, a team like the Washington Wizards are in the perfect situation to help facilitate a blockbuster trade for the Bucks' superstar.
Wizards in prime positon to facilitate Giannis trade
The Wizards have made it clear that they will be aggressive on the trade market when they deem the chance.
Not only has Washington become aggressive on the trade front in efforts to upgrade their roster, but as a rebuilding team, the Wizards will jump at the opportunity to add young players or draft capital when given the chance.
With plenty of cap space, young prospects and expiring contracts that could be involved in a potential deal, Washington could be a team to monitor if the framework of any potential deal needs a facilitating team to get over the finish line.
As the trade deadline looms, rumors and conversations between teams will continue to take place and all eyes should be open for potential updates.