Last season, the Milwaukee Bucks limped to a 48-34 record and barely secured a playoff berth, only to suffer a swift first-round exit at the hands of the Indiana Pacers. The disappointing postseason sparked immediate whispers that Giannis Antetokounmpo was growing frustrated with the team’s performance and might seek a place elsewhere.
Throughout the 2025 offseason analysts debated regarding which franchise could land the “Greek Freak”. The chatter eventually cooled down but as the 2025-26 regular season nears the rumor mill has started again.
NBA Insiders’ Reports Regarding Giannis Antetokounmpo
As the preseason rages on more and more reports regarding Antetokounmpo’s future are making waves across the league.
One particular report that is making the most noise in the NBA world came from ESPN’s NBA insider Shams Charania who recently shared that Antetokounmpo was exploring a potential change of teams with the New York Knicks as his preferred destination.
“Several teams were discussed internally, but one emerged as the only place Antetokounmpo wanted to play outside of Milwaukee: the New York Knicks, multiple sources with direct knowledge of the situation told ESPN,” wrote Charania in his report.
But as Charania’s report gained traction other insiders began weighing in with their own perspectives. Among them was Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix, who recently offered an intriguing update.
While Mannix acknowledged that several teams would undoubtedly express interest in acquiring Antetokounmpo should he hit the trade market, he also named one surprising franchise that won’t. They are the defending NBA champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder.
“What then? Conventional wisdom says Milwaukee–which won’t do anything without a clear signal from Antetokounmpo–would wait until the offseason. But there are teams very closely monitoring the situation. Houston, even after the Kevin Durant deal, has the kind of capital to make an offer.”
“San Antonio, too. New York, Detroit, and Orlando could also get in the mix. And while I’ve been explicitly told that Oklahoma City has no interest … I mean, the Thunder could make it really interesting,” wrote Mannix in his report.
Despite owning a boatload of picks over the next few years, the Thunder have zero interest in Giannis Antetokounmpo, per @SIChrisMannix pic.twitter.com/v3FefSRDBn
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) October 8, 2025
If we see the Thunder’s stance makes perfect sense given their current direction and roster composition.
Why the Thunder Not Going After Giannis Antetokounmpo Makes Sense?
Oklahoma City’s young core has turned out to be one of the most balanced units in the league. This fact makes a massive trade for Antetokounmpo both unnecessary and potentially counterproductive.
Leading the charge of OKC is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander who was nothing short of sensational last season. The 2025 MVP averaged 32.7 points per game on an efficient 51.9% shooting. If we see he edged out even Antetokounmpo’s 30.4 PPG while contributing nearly identical playmaking numbers (6.4 assists compared to Antetokounmpo’s 6.5).
Alongside SGA, Jalen Williams has emerged as a two-way force. Add to that the interior presence of Chet Holmgren whose rim protection and stretch shooting perfectly complement OKC’s up-tempo style.
Integrating a ball-dominant star like Antetokounmpo could disrupt the seamless chemistry that has become the Thunder’s identity.
Under head coach Mark Daigneault Oklahoma City’s offense thrives on fluid ball movement and perimeter spacing, and unselfish play which is a sharp contrast to Antetokounmpo’s paint-centric approach that relies heavily on isolations and post-ups.
In short, while Antetokounmpo to New York might make for a headline-grabbing storyline, a move to Oklahoma City simply doesn’t fit the script.