{"id":175187,"date":"2026-01-30T08:36:09","date_gmt":"2026-01-30T13:36:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=175187"},"modified":"2026-01-30T08:36:09","modified_gmt":"2026-01-30T13:36:09","slug":"the-only-way-bucks-can-compete-with-giannis-antetokounmpo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2026\/01\/30\/the-only-way-bucks-can-compete-with-giannis-antetokounmpo\/","title":{"rendered":"The ONLY Way Bucks Can Compete With Giannis Antetokounmpo"},"content":{"rendered":"

MILWAUKEE \u2014 The Milwaukee Bucks<\/a> sit 12th in the Eastern Conference. They still control the trade deadline and how the season plays out. Giannis Antetokounmpo<\/a> has signaled he is ready to change scenery. The Bucks still have a slim chance to keep him. This is the only way to do it.<\/p>\n

The ONLY Way Bucks Can Compete With Giannis Antetokounmpo<\/h2>\n

Why Giannis Holds All the Leverage<\/h3>\n
\"Jan
Jan 12, 2026; Dallas, Texas, USA; Brooklyn Nets forward Michael Porter Jr. (17) looks on during the first quarter against the Dallas Mavericks at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Giannis remains among the top three players in the world. That status drives his massive pull on the trade market. He averages 28 points, 10 rebounds, 5.6 assists, and 1.6 stocks. He does that in under 30 minutes per game. Bucks GM Jon Horst wants to keep Giannis for his entire career. Giannis has stated multiple times that he wants to keep competing for titles. Milwaukee cannot do that right now. Some argue the Bucks have no path to contention. I argue otherwise.<\/p>\n

How the Injury Creates Milwaukee\u2019s Only Path<\/h3>\n

Giannis Antetokounmpo\u2019s \u2019s latest calf injury will force him to miss at least four to six weeks, that absence could bury the Bucks from the play-in race, and create their only path to keep him long term. They could tank the remainder of the season. That would increase their odds of a high draft pick in May\u2019s lottery.<\/p>\n

The Bucks do not control their own first-round pick but they will not lose it entirely. They will retain the lesser selection between their pick and New Orleans\u2019s. The Pelicans<\/a> will likely own one of the best lottery odds. Both picks could land high in a deep draft class.<\/p>\n

With a potential franchise player available, the Bucks could add a building block next to Giannis. They could also package that pick for an established star. Either path could return Milwaukee to title contention.<\/p>\n

The Blueprint to Keep Giannis<\/h3>\n

The Bucks plamned to enter the deadline as buyers. Giannis\u2019s long-term status remains unclear. Right now, the Bucks can trade either their 2031 or 2032 first-round pick. In June, they can trade this year\u2019s pick. They can also trade their 2031 and 2033 selections. The Bucks project to have access to the non-tax mid-level exception. That gives them $15 million to pursue high-level role players. They desperately need two-way wings.<\/p>\n

To understand this plan fully, I will break it down. First, Milwaukee drafts a top-eight prospect. That creates a two-timeline approach. It also provides insurance if Giannis leaves in 2026\u201327. Next, the Bucks could target Michael Porter Jr.<\/a> as a second option. They would use available first-rounders in the 2030s. Brooklyn has set an asking price of two first-rounders for Porter.<\/a> Then, with their available exceptions, the Bucks can pursue top free agents. Suddenly, Milwaukee has depth. They can contend again. This is the only way the Bucks can keep Giannis Antetokounmpo.<\/p>\n

MILWAUKEE \u2014 The Milwaukee Bucks sit 12th in the Eastern Conference. They still control the trade deadline and how the season plays out. Giannis Antetokounmpo has signaled he is ready to change scenery. The Bucks still have a slim chance to keep him. This is the only way to do it. The ONLY Way Bucks […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5018,"featured_media":175196,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[62,1608,15,3,4721],"tags":[50244,49942,49691,306,1223],"class_list":["post-175187","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nba","category-basketball","category-bucks","category-news","category-trade-rumors","tag-2025-26-nba-season","tag-2026-nba-draft","tag-2026-27-season","tag-giannis-antetokounmpo","tag-michael-porter-jr"],"modified_by":"Frederick Okocha","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/175187","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5018"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=175187"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/175187\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":175198,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/175187\/revisions\/175198"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/175196"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=175187"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=175187"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=175187"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}