Opinion: We shouldn’t completely trust the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade rumours

There has been a lot of talk within the last 48 hours that the Milwaukee Bucks may be interested in trading Giannis Antetokounmpo, the two-time NBA MVP. The reason is because the Bucks are struggling this season and are at 18 wins and 27 losses. At this time, the Bucks even find themselves behind the Charlotte Hornets, and are in 12th place in the East. Antetokounmpo is still the face of the Bucks franchise, but you need to wonder if Milwaukee cannot win with Antetokounmpo, how long will it take before the Bucks management find a trade partner, and acquire some top assets for one of the game’s top power forwards.

There is also a belief that the Bucks may trade Antetokounmpo because he wants to be traded, and does not believe the existing core group of Bucks players are strong enough to make a deep run into the postseason. It would be nice to hear from Antetokounmpo directly on the matter. So far, we have not. All we have heard at this time are rumours, and even though the rumours have come from ESPN, we cannot ignore the betting odds. According to the New York Post, the odds of Antetokounmpo staying in Milwaukee are the best at -110. The teams rumoured to show the most interest however are the Miami Heat, New York Knicks, Toronto Raptors, and Minnesota Timberwolves.

The other reason why we cannot trust the rumours is because we have been here before. There was a belief the Bucks would trade Antetokounmpo in 2020. Then he signed a five-year extension worth $228 million to stay in Milwaukee.

So far this season, Antetokounmpo is averaging 28 points per game, 10 rebounds per game, and 5.6 assists per game. He leads the NBA with 10 two-point field goals made per game. Antetokounmpo also has a field goal percentage of .645, three point percentage of .395, and free throw percentage of .658.