The Milwaukee Bucks will be facing the Chicago Bulls on Monday, October 13, 2025, in their fourth and final preseason game of the 2025-26 NBA season. Throughout the season, attention has been constantly turning to the future of Giannis Antetokounmpo. We know from the latest reports that Antetokounmpo has considered requesting a trade, most preferably to the New York Knicks, despite claiming that he is ‘locked in’ with the Bucks. But now, insiders are explaining how his decision to move is justified.

Fairly speaking, Giannis Antetokounmpo has had a historic tenure with the Milwaukee Bucks, 13 years in, widely regarded as the second-best player in franchise history after Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. But questions about his long-term future have reached a fever pitch. On Brian Windhorst’s podcast, ESPN panelists Tim MacMahon, Tim Bontemps discussed why a departure might be inevitable.

MacMahon stressed that if Giannis were to ask out, “Whether officially or just pushes it to a point where it’s time to trade him, no one’s going to blame him for that.” Giannis’ extraordinary talent has often operated within constraints the Bucks haven’t fully addressed. Just look at last season’s struggles.

The Milwaukees were eliminated in the first round by the Indiana Pacers, who secured a 119-118 overtime victory in Game 5. This defeat continued a troubling trend, as the Bucks have now failed to advance beyond the first round in three consecutive seasons. This was despite Giannis averaging 30.4 points, 11.9 rebounds, and 6.5 assists per game.

Then Tim MacMahon said, “The time to do that was two months ago, or three months ago. Not in August, not in September,” referring to the NBA’s operational calendar. The strategic advantage in trade timing starts in the middle of the year. By June and July, teams are fully in the offseason, allowing maximum flexibility.

Rosters are just filling in, salary cap space is broad, and draft picks or young assets are a leverage not burden. But then, Giannis came off of a significant EuroBasket season in September, while also recovering from Covid, he had no time.

The buzz only amassed broader attention when he came back to the US. Yet he has not openly expressed his desire to move, why? we do not know but the Greek freak has always circled around the topic, never addressing it fully. Simply put, the longer Giannis waits to make a public request, the fewer teams can realistically assemble a competitive package.

Yet, As Marc Stein explained in a previous intevriew, “The Bucks aren’t even entertaining the idea of trading Giannis Antetokounmpo until he comes to [them] and says ‘I want to be moved. I want you guys to trade me.’ … He has not formally asked for a trade, and until he does, the Bucks don’t wanna hear it.”

But if Giannis was to come out publicly with an announcement tomorrow for instance, he will already have a pack of insiders and team owners backing him.

NBA analyst, Kendrick Perkins on NBA Today has already predicted that Giannis will not finish the season in Milwaukee: “This is coming from me, straight from Perk with no sources, that we will not see Giannis Antetokounmpo in a Bucks uniform at the end of this season. I believe he’s given the Bucks an opportunity right now, privately before he goes publicly.” He urged the Bucks to field calls now to maximize their return. But what about the Knicks? Are they going all in for Giannis?

Knicks’ financial constraints limit potential Giannis acquisition

If we look at the Knicks’ most expensive contracts, it highlights just how tightly they’re squeezed. Karl-Anthony Towns carries a deal worth $220.4 million over four years. OG Anunoby also commands a massive commitment at $212.5 million over five years.

With numbers that big, New York is already significantly over the cap. Their 2025-26 salary allocations push them about $68.6 million over the cap, with negative practical cap space. In other words, even if Giannis was to move, the financial logistics themselves are as formidable a barrier as any trade negotiation.

Giannis’ current contract is a three-year, $186 million extension with the Bucks, which locks him in through 2027, he also gets a player option for the 2027-28 season. Under that deal, his salary is projected to rise. 2025-26 season will see his cap hit over $54 million. In fact, if he hits free agency in 2026, he’s expected to be eligible for a four-year, $293.4 million supermax extension.

But for the man, it was never about the salary, nor the presence. If he has made anything clear, it is his intention, to win, “I want to be on a team that allows me and gives me a chance to win a championship… it is never going to change. I want to be among the best.”, he had said on media day. Will the Bucks give him that?

His remarkable consistency in the regular season highlights the Milwaukee Bucks’ ongoing postseason challenges. According to Shams Charania of ESPN, Antetokounmpo became the second player in NBA history to average 30 points per game in the regular season for three consecutive years without winning a playoff series in each of those seasons.

This distinction places him alongside Oscar Robertson, who achieved the same feat from 1964-65 to 1966-67. That is not to say that he is not valued at the Bucks, yet some pursues seem impossible until they are done.

Now the whispers of New York may or may not materialize into real talks. But the reality is clear, the Bucks’ championship window is closing faster. And if Milwaukee cannot rise with him, the Greek Freak’s next leap might be a departure.