Giannis Antetokounmpo will be the hottest NBA topic in the NBA until the Milwaukee Bucks trade him, whenever that will be. A basketball titan like him being moved would be such big news that trading him would make a seismic shakeup in the NBA.
However, it's not like the Bucks will hand him over. Trading him means they are starting over, and when a trade is involving one of the best players ever, any suitor better believe they'll have to pay through the nose to get him.
Don't believe that? NBA Insider Jake Fischer revealed what Milwaukee will want.
"They’re asking for the moon," one general manager told me on Thursday morning. "All of your young players and all of your draft picks."
— Jake Fischer (@JakeLFischer) January 29, 2026
On Milwaukee’s approach to trading Giannis Antetokounmpo: https://t.co/KM8BFhILsv https://t.co/RXP8OX1vGH
All picks and all young players? Who could possibly offer that in a trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo? Oh yeah, the Utah Jazz can. If that's not enough, Giannis himself has talked about teaming up with Lauri Markkanen. So, what would stop the Jazz from making this happen?
Oh yeah, he's a flight risk. Antetokounmpo has a player option for the 2027-28 season, meaning he can leave after a season and a half. The only way Utah would agree to a deal with Milwaukee is if they got assurance from Antetokounmpo would stick around.
Last we checked, it's likely he wouldn't do that, which is a shame because the Jazz and Bucks make almost too much sense as trade partners.
The package the Jazz could offer for Giannis
The Jazz have the young players to give the Bucks a solid foundation to build off of, including:
-Keyonte George
-Ace Bailey
-Cody Williams
-Brice Sensabaugh
-Kyle Filipowski
They also have the expiring contracts to match salaries, including
-Jusuf Nurkic
-Kyle Anderson
-Georges Niang
-Kevin Love
-Svi Mykhailiuk
Past 2026, Utah also has their own picks to dangle on top of the Lakers' pick next year, the Suns pick in 2031, and still have a few left over from the Cavaliers and Timberwolves.
Oh, and as an added bonus, they can even take Kyle Kuzma in the deal, who the Bucks may try to dump in a Giannis trade. The Jazz obviously can't trade their entire roster for the two-time MVP, but they have the assets to make a trade work.
The only contingency is Giannis agreeing to stay with the Jazz long-term. A deal like this would ensure Utah would have him, Markkanen, and Walker Kessler long-term. The Jazz would have to add more than just them to make the vision work, but they would have a core on their hands.
However, the Jazz have not come up as a destination for Giannis since this situation has unfolded further, and likely because of that one caveat. A trade would make sense, but without that reassurance, it's hard to see the Jazz striking a deal.