Where might Giannis Antetokounmpo play next season? Boston? Houston? Los Angeles?

After 13 seasons, two MVPs and one NBA championship — the first one for the franchise since the 1970s — the split between Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks seems inevitable. It is coming this offseason.

Where will Antetokounmpo play next?

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Golden State, Miami and Minnesota made a hard push at February’s trade deadline, but team ownership put off making a deal because it believed better offers would be available in the offseason. That may be true. Could the Rockets, or even the Lakers or Celtics, jump into the mix? It’s possible, according to a report from Sam Amick of The Athletic.

Two things to watch

Two key factors will impact which jersey Antetokounmpo will pull on next.

First, where does Antetokounmpo want to play? By pushing off trading the Greek Freak to the offseason, the Bucks gave him more leverage — Antetokounmpo has just one more guaranteed season on his contract, and he can tell a team he is not interested in them that he would not re-sign with them. While Milwaukee could trade Antetokounmpo to a team willing to take a one-year flyer on him (as Toronto did with Kawhi Leonard — and won a title with that gamble), most teams will not want to meet the asking price if they cannot reach an extension with their new star.

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Second, which teams flame out early in the upcoming NBA playoffs? To use Boston as an example, it has a lot of flexibility this offseason to make a big move, but if it makes the NBA Finals — and the Celtics are the betting favorite to do just that — then would they still have interest in Antetokounmpo? How will the Lakers approach the offseason after injuries to Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves are set to dramatically impact their playoffs? How will Houston feel if it flames out in the first round?

Which teams are interested

Amick at The Athletic lists a number of teams that could be in the mix for Antetokounmpo.

The Miami Heat, Golden State Warriors, Minnesota Timberwolves and New York Knicks were known to be in the market for Antetokounmpo, will almost certainly be back if they fall short.

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However, how might the Orlando Magic feel if…

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Publish date : 2026-04-08 21:34:00

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