The Warriors and the Knicks continue to circle Giannis Antetokounmpo as the trade deadline approaches this Thursday. Last month, the Greek Freak pledged his loyalty to the Milwaukee Bucks, but then the franchise is listening to offers to trade the 2x All-Star. Amid this chaos, the head coach, Doc Rivers, has put his foot down with a statement that not many teams in the league would like to hear.

“Giannis has said everything we need to hear,” Rivers spoke with ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, Hannah Storm, Michael Malone, and Kendrick Perkins.”He wants to be a Buck and loves the city. That’s all I can go by as a coach right now. Has it been difficult? Yeah. Your players, you know, every day have to hear stuff every single day, not just about their best player, but they’re thrown into the mix as well.

“You know, my favorite day of the year this year will be the day after the trade deadline. That’ll be my favorite day. Because I think everyone’ll be here, and we can get to, you know, so I’m looking forward to that.”

Antetokounmpo himself has said he will never request to be traded from the Bucks, and he’s stayed true to his word thus far. Right now even the team is not in a rush to trade their superstar.

Their preference is for a promising young talent and a substantial collection of draft picks. Should the offers be inadequate, they will hold out for the offseason. Even the Warriors and the Knicks have failed to put an enticing package so far, as the trade deadline approaches. Even though Giannis did not ask for a trade, he is “ready for a new home” as per ESPN’s Shams Charania.

Further reports also hinted that Antetokounmpo had privately told the front office for months that the time feels right to move on after 12-plus seasons. As talks continue, a deal looks more realistic. One big issue is that Giannis is sidelined with a right calf injury and is expected to miss the majority of February.

It’s possible teams could wait to officially trade for him until the offseason because of injury concerns. That could be the reason why Doc Rivers confidently believes the Bucks will keep Antetokounmpo on the roster for the remainder of the 2025-26 season.

A new home becomes an option for Giannis Antetokounmpo

Even with his presence in the roster, the Bucks are 15-15 this season. One of the many reasons why they are currently 12th in the Eastern Conference with an 18-28 record. Teams have been on alert, especially the Golden State Warriors, who saw Jimmy Butler go down with a season-ending ACL injury. They need someone to carry the load alongside Stephen Curry, but their approach got some unexpected bad news.

Earlier, the Atlanta Hawks traded guard Vit Krejci to the Portland Trail Blazers for Duop Reath and two future second-round picks. Reports confirmed they now have seven future second-round picks at their disposal. Apart from the draft capital, they have freed up salary cap space after Trae Young’s surprising exit. That’s why the Warriors are staring at a “now or never” moment in their pursuit of Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Golden State can offer outright firsts in 2026, 2028, 2030, and 2032, plus swap rights extending across seven seasons. They also have young rotation pieces like Jonathan Kuminga and Brandin Podziemski. Now it remains to be seen which final offer tempts the Bucks before the deadline.