Confirming reporting from ESPN’s Shams Charania, Marc Stein and Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link) say the Timberwolves should be included among the group of teams considered serious suitors for Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Minnesota doesn’t currently have a tradable first-round pick, but Stein and Fischer hear that Antetokounmpo has “quietly had the Timberwolves in his thoughts” for some time and would be very intrigued by the possibility of teaming up with star guard Anthony Edwards. While Giannis doesn’t hold a no-trade clause, he’ll have some leverage in the Bucks’ trade talks, since any potential trade partner would be reluctant to give up a massive haul for a player who could reach free agency and head elsewhere as soon as 2027.
As Stein and Fischer observe, the Wolves weren’t willing to include forward Jaden McDaniels in an offer for Kevin Durant last year and have been reluctant to make many of their higher-paid rotation players available this season as they scour the trade market for backcourt help. But the expectation is that they’d be much more open to discussing McDaniels and others as part of a potential package for Antetokounmpo.
Surveying the market for the two-time MVP, Stein and Fischer touch on several other teams, including Philadelphia. The Sixers haven’t contacted Milwaukee about a possible Giannis deal to this point, but they’re on his radar, according to The Stein Line’s duo, who point out that Antetokounmpo and Sixers star Tyrese Maxey both work with trainer Drew Hanlen.
Here are several more Giannis-related updates:
- Antetokounmpo’s potential interest in the Heat dates back to at least 2020, when he had Miami high on his list of possible landing spots if he didn’t sign an extension with the Bucks, per Stein and Fischer. He also reportedly had interest in joining the Knicks last summer. Still, it won’t be easy for either team to win a bidding war for the star forward. According to The Stein Line, some sources around the NBA have wondered whether New York missed its window to land Giannis and believe that a complicated multi-team framework would be necessary to get him to the Knicks at this point.
- According to Stein and Fischer, several rival front offices have wondered if the Bucks are trying to establish asking prices with potential Antetokounmpo suitors now before holding a full-fledged auction in the summer, when several teams will have more tradable first-round picks available. “They’re asking for the moon,” one general manager told The Stein Line on Thursday. “All of your young players and all of your draft picks.”
- Early indications are that the Hawks haven’t entered the Antetokounmpo sweepstakes and don’t intend to, Stein and Fischer write. That echoes reporting from Sam Amick of The Athletic, who said Hawks team officials were conveying on Wednesday that they aren’t involved on Giannis and are taking a long-term approach with their roster. Forward Jalen Johnson and the Hawks’ most favorable 2026 first-round pick (either the Pelicans’ or Bucks’ selection) would be extremely valuable trade chips, but Atlanta reportedly isn’t interested in parting with either one and has some reservations about how Antetokounmpo and Johnson would fit together, per Stein and Fischer.