Advertisement - scroll for more content
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement - scroll for more content
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
The Cleveland Browns introduced a new head coach, Todd Monken, earlier today. Browns owner Jimmy Haslam, who is also a co-owner of the Milwaukee Bucks, spoke with media members following today's introductory press conference and briefly addressed the prospect of the Bucks trading Giannis Antetokounmpo. "Giannis is a top three, top four player in the world," Haslam said. "He brought Milwaukee its first championship in 50 years several years ago, and he's a really good person too. He's no problem. He's a great leader, tries hard. "And I think Giannis and the Bucks — and I think this goes back before we were involved — have always worked closely to see what's best for Giannis and what's best for the Bucks, and we'll continue to do so. " While that doesn't give fans much insight into which way the Bucks might be leaning 48 hours before the Feb. 5 trade deadline, Haslam was also asked a follow-up question: What does a successful trade for Antetokounmpo look like, if there is one? "That's a question for (general manager) Jon Horst," Haslam replied.
While the race for top contender in the East is still up for debate, the biggest storyline in the conference -- and the NBA -- is not. In conversations with sources around the league over the past 48 hours, the widespread expectation is that the Giannis Antetokounmpo saga will drag out until at least Thursday. Then, Bucks general manager Jon Horst and his staff will have to decide whether to make a move now or wait until the offseason. Three sources said they expect the trade drama in Milwaukee to stretch into the summer. "I'm just not sure why it wouldn't make sense to wait," an East scout said. "They can see where the draft [lottery] is, and survey their options then." But Milwaukee is taking calls, surveying the trade value for its superstar forward in a way the franchise, as one source said, has never before.
Michael Scotto: I’ve spoken to plenty of GMs that are would love to have Giannis Antetokounmpo and have tried to talk to Bucks GM Jon Horst about acquiring him and quite frankly, he's not going anywhere. They they've been telling me uh the Bucks have been steadfast that he's not going anywhere. So then you look at other names on the market, whether it's Anthony Davis that's kind of popped up a little bit, but as I touched on, Dallas is still in a little bit of an evaluation period, trying to see how he looks with Cooper Flagg.
I must also pass along that there are sources with knowledge of the situation who continue to caution that a true divorce for franchise and superstar might have to wait until the offseason, when there's more draft capital in the marketplace and when it's easier to make salary matching work. Yet so long as the Bucks falter — which only fuels the belief that Antetokounmpo's commitment to the Bucks is wavering — other teams are going to be ringing Jon Horst's front office.
Shams Charania: Now the locker room I'm told can feel the tension at play with Giannis. Giannis, sources told me, has been frustrated over the losing recently, just as the organization has been with Jon Horst, the general manager, the coach Doc Rivers. There's been frustration abound, and it's inching closer to what one source described to me as the writing on the wall.
Joining @KevinNegandhi on @SportsCenter for the latest on Giannis and the Bucks: pic.twitter.com/enhcODo3RZ
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) December 3, 2025
Advertisement
Giannis Antetokounmpo came into the season having bought into the championship roster vision of general manager Jon Horst and coach Doc Rivers. Before the season started, sources said Antetokounmpo would examine the Bucks' first 25 or so games this season and make decisions on his long-term future, depending on whether the team showed signs of competing in the Eastern Conference.
Eric Nehm: Q: Everybody in the locker room has phones. They can all see it. How as a coach do you try to remind them… Rivers: I don’t have to because Giannis does that. Everything Giannis says is about the team and being a better team, so I don’t have to do that. Every part of Giannis says that. If you read his comments this summer, every comment he’s made is about being in Milwaukee, loving the city, but for some reason—and it’s funny, what’s the old saying?—you create the story and then you report on the story you created. And that’s what it feels like. And it gets old for us. But at the end of the day, there’s nothing we can do about it, but I can tell you Jon has never called a team about Giannis. That has never happened. And until that happens, you really don’t have a story.
Eric Nehm: Yesterday, a report came out about… Rivers: Another one. It’s unbelievable. Q: How do you deal with it? Rivers: I don’t. I really don’t. I mean, what are you supposed to say? Like I don’t know how many more times… I’ve been coaching 26, 27 years and one thing that I know is that 30 teams call 30 teams, all right. “Hey, would you like to trade Chris Paul?” And you say no. That does not constitute a conversation, all right? You know, I read where it said several conversations—well, that never happened. It was a conversation where a team called and Jon has been saying no now for 11 years. I don’t know why this is a new story, but I guess it is.
Shams Charania: Leon Rose, the Knicks’ president, called Jon Horst, the Bucks’ general manager. These sides had multiple conversations. Offers were made. But here’s where it split: the Bucks, I’m told, believe the Knicks didn’t even offer a deal strong enough to keep the conversation going. Meanwhile, the Knicks believe the Bucks never seriously considered trading Giannis at all this summer.
The Bucks have 15 players with guaranteed contracts. That is how many players the Bucks will be allowed to take into the first day of the regular season. However, when asked by The Athletic if the team’s current roster construction meant that the 15 players on guaranteed contracts would be the 15 players who end up representing the Bucks on opening night, Horst said, “absolutely not.” “We were presented the opportunity as the offseason progressed to add some players that we thought were just too good to be true, really just great opportunities,” Horst said. “We’re going to let the guys play it out.
Advertisement
Asked if the game played a role in the signing, Thanasis admitted that it did: “For sure. They were here after the first game against Italy, and they were excited because I was playing defense. I was doing my job, that’s my role. The important thing is that everyone who returns (after such an injury) with a team, or in a tournament like this, has to prove themselves again. That’s basketball. Whatever you have done so far counts; it’s your resume, but you have to prove it every day. That’s professional sports”.
Tas Melas: NBA front office executives or coaches I’ve seen at #EuroBasket: Bucks: Jon Horst, Doc Rivers, Darvin Ham. Lakers: Rob Pelinka, Jeanie Buss, Kurt Rambis. Trail Blazers: Chauncey Billups. Kings: BJ Armstrong, Doug Christie. Nuggets: Josh Kroenke.