Will Giannis Antetokounmpo really be traded? It sounds absurd—after all, he’s the cornerstone of the Milwaukee Bucks and just inked a 3-year, $186 million extension. But in the aftermath of another disappointing playoff run, the whispers have turned into chatter. And now, Giannis himself may have added fuel to the fire with a cryptic message that fans are struggling to ignore. Despite how unthinkable it seems, the possibility is no longer off the table.

Giannis Antetokounmpo recently took to his official Instagram account to share a post for his 15.9 million followers. The same featured him on the court, in full Bucks jersey gear, with his head down. The caption carried nothing but two emojis: “🙏🏾🫡”. Anyone looking for even the smallest of signs of Giannis’s trade would have their heads explode over the two emojis. After all, what other explanation could there be for Giannis to put out that salute and folded hands emojis, if it was not for a farewell?

The post comes only a few days after Giannis’s potential trade became a topic of conversation for NBA Insider Marc Stein. In a recent episode of the ‘All-NBA Podcast’, the former ESPN and NYT reporter claimed that Giannis’s value was too financially high for the Bucks to willingly trade him. However, the organization could be more open to exploring options if he comes to them. In Stein’s own words, “I don’t think Giannis himself does not want to go to the Bucks and say ‘trade me’. But next year, there’s no way with Damian Lillard carrying a salary of nearly 60 million they don’t have control of their own first-round pick till 2031, they don’t have a pathway to build a contender around him at this point”.

All of those factors seem to have gone through the mind of ‘The Greek Freak’ too, causing him to put out this recent post. In the wild scenario that the social media post means something else, then several thousand fans in the comments section will have to be convinced otherwise.

NBA Fans Mourn the Potential End of Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Bucks Tenure: “HE IS GONE 😢”

Social media users did not mince around with words to highlight just what they thought the post meant. One of them straight-out wrote “HE IS GONE 😢”.

Being amongst the top scoring players in the modern NBA, Giannis Antetokounmpo has no shortage of potential offers if he has finally decided to pursue the trade route. If a recent report by New York Post journalist Brian Lewis is to be believed, then “Multiple league personnel that have spoken with The Post say Giannis Antetokounmpo has been and remains Plan A for the Nets.” Lewis further revealed that, in case Giannis Antetokounmpo is traded to another team, GM Sean Marks will simply tank for another year and build through the lottery. Either way, the Nets will be after Giannis as if they are Thanos and he is an Infinity Stone.

Other than that, The Athletic reporters Eric Nehm, David Aldridge, Eric Koreen, Tony Jones, and Sam Vecenie created a trade package, according to which the Bucks would land two-time All-Star Zion Williamson in a “massive” package that would include Williamson, Keldon Johnson, a 2025 first-round pick (Spurs, via Hawks), 2027 first-round pick swap rights (Pelicans), and 2029 first-round pick (Spurs). NBA reporter Rob Perez proposed a mock trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo in exchange for a package that includes Franz Wagner. The possibilities are endless.

One individual wrote, “Come to LA”.

The same seems unlikely. After all, the Lakers already invested in a major offensive player by acquiring Luka Doncic. What the team needs now is a force on the defensive front. Someone who can handle things from inside the paint and is efficient with rebounds. The Lakers had earlier attempted to acquire Mark Williams from the Charlotte Hornets, but had to drop the trade after complications arose in the player’s physical examination.

Judging from the smiling emoji Williams dropped after the Lakers were eliminated upon winning just 1 out of 5 games against the Minnesota Timberwolves, it was a sign that the team needed a defensive player.

One social media user attempted to plead with the Bucks star by writing, “Plz stay in Milwaukee we love you”.

Except the recent post, Giannis did not show anything to indicate that he would bid adieu to the Milwaukee Bucks. However, there was a belief that if the Bucks lose in this playoff too, the star would be inclined to change his mind. After all, in the recent episode of his elder brother’s podcast, Giannis said, “So yeah, I’m trying to, I’m trying to win a second ring, man. I really believe, I’ll say this, here is one of my goals”. With the Bucks getting no closer to winning the championship ring since they did it back in 2021, the motivation to make a change would have gotten to ‘The Greek Freak’.

One individual proposed a different sort of trade by writing, “You’re still the best player in the world, get rid of doc rivers though 🤍”.

Well, better not Austin Rivers hear that. After all, in the recent episode of his ‘Off-Guard’ podcast, the former NBA player defended his father amid the Bucks’ poor run by stating “I would like him to start somewhere, but instead of being a coach for hire with this team that has a win-or-bust mentality, it’s not fair to him. He keeps getting blamed for stuff. He keeps getting in situations where, if they lose, people are like, ‘Is he going to get fired or not?’ That shouldn’t be the question”.

Austin Rivers fully endorsed a Giannis Antetokounmpo trade, since he believed the young group of players the Bucks could get in exchange would improve the team’s longevity, and take the pressure off of Doc Rivers.

Another social media user attempted to put out a plea by writing, “My glorious king, please stay in Milwaukee…. 🥲”.

In the end, all these pleas won’t do anything if Giannis has already made up his mind.