After months of speculation, we now know where Giannis Antetokounmpo will be – at least through the end of the 2025-26 season.
According to ESPN, the Bucks have informed other teams that they are keeping Antetokounmpo on the roster beyond the NBA trading deadline, which is Thursday, Feb. 5 at 3 p.m. ET.
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This doesn’t rule out that Milwaukee could eventually trade Antetokounmpo during the offseason when potential suitors would have more draft capital and financial flexibility to sweeten their offers. But it also opens the path for the Bucks to try to make complementary moves to convince Antetokounmpo to commit to the franchise over the long term.
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In the latest acknowledgement of a mistake made in the February 2025 Luka Dončić trade, the Dallas Mavericks have shipped the centerpiece of their haul in that deal, big man Anthony Davis to the Washington Wizards. The Wizards will also get Jaden Hardy, D’Angelo Russell and Dante Exum. In return, Dallas will receive Khris Middleton, AJ Johnson, Malaki Branham, Marvin Bagley III, 2 first-round picks and 3 second-rounders, as reported first by ESPN on Wednesday.
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See which NBA players are on the move at trade deadline
In the latest acknowledgement of a mistake made in the February 2025 Luka Dončić trade, the Dallas Mavericks have shipped the centerpiece of their haul in that deal, big man Anthony Davis to the Washington Wizards. The Wizards will also get Jaden Hardy, D’Angelo Russell and Dante Exum. In return, Dallas will receive Khris Middleton, AJ Johnson, Malaki Branham, Marvin Bagley III, 2 first-round picks and 3 second-rounders, as reported first by ESPN on Wednesday.
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The Los Angeles Clippers and the Cleveland Cavaliers agree to a trade that would send former MVP James Harden to Cleveland, while Darius Garland heads to Southern California. The trade on Tuesday was first reported by ESPN’s Shams Charania. Cleveland becomes the sixth team in Harden’s 17-year career. Harden, who averages 25.4 points, 8.1 assists and 4.8 rebounds, gives Cleveland another scoring option for the remainder of the regular-season. After all, he is No. 9 all-time in NBA scoring history with 28,805 points. For what it’s worth, he’s No. 12 all-time in assists. The Cavaliers acquire a combo guard in Harden who can play shooting guard and run a team as a point guard. He’s played with superstars his entire career and has had success, especially in the regular season.
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After the Clippers and Chris Paul parted ways in December, it was announced Wednesday that he would be part of a three-player deal involving the Toronto Raptors. He intends to retire at the end of the season.
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On Feb. 4, 2026, the Chicago Bulls traded Coby WhiteÑalong with Mike Conley Jr.Ñto the Charlotte Hornets in a multi-team deal involving the Bulls, Hornets, and Thunder.
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Multiple outlets confirm that on Feb. 4, 2026, the Philadelphia 76ers traded guard Jared McCain to the Oklahoma City Thunder. The deal sends McCain to OKC in exchange for four draft picks.
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The Atlanta Hawks traded guard Trae Young to the Washington Wizards for CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert. Young was in his eighth season with the Hawks, but the signs that his tenure was coming to a close had become apparent in recent months. He leaves as the franchise’s all-time leader in assists (4,837) and 3-pointers (1,295).
Young has only played in 10 games this season and did not play on Wednesday due to a quad injury. Reports of the trade emerged during the team’s game against the New Orleans Pelicans and Young was seen being embraced by members of the organization.
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The Memphis Grizzlies continued to dismantle their once-promising roster with another major move involving the team’s core. But it doesn’t involve the star the NBA thought might be traded this week. The Utah Jazz have acquired Jaren Jackson Jr. as part of a significant trade in which the Memphis Grizzlies will receive three future first-round draft picks and several players, according to a report from ESPN on Tuesday, Feb. 3. The deal comes two days before the NBA’s trade deadline and represents a significant swerve after weeks of rumors surrounding Ja Morant’s future with the Grizzlies. The trade, once finalized, would send Jackson, center Jock Landale and forward Vince Williams, Jr. to the Jazz, according to multiple reports. Utah rookie Walter Clayton Jr., Kyle Anderson, Taylor Hendricks, Georges Niang and three future first-round draft picks are going back to the Grizzlies in the transaction.
Antetokounmpo, 31, is signed through the end of next season and has a $62.8 million player option for the 2027-28 season. In theory, the Bucks would want to secure Antetokounmpo’s future with a multiyear extension, but if they get any indication that he’s not committed to signing a deal, they eventually might consider a trade to recoup assets for a post-Giannis era.
Antetokounmpo is averaging 28 points, 10 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game, though he is currently sidelined with a right calf strain and is expected to miss several more weeks.
Antetokounmpo has had an eventful season with the Bucks.
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Recently, he booed home fans at Fiserv Forum after they had booed the team’s performance. Earlier in the year, he scrubbed his social media of most mentions of the Bucks, leading to the rampant speculation that he was looking to be traded.
According to multiple reports, Antetokounmpo broached his future with Bucks management through his representatives, but he addressed the rumors and said “there will never be a moment that I will come out and say, ‘I want a trade.'” In mid-December, however, he didn’t rule out that his agent might be having conversations about his future with the Bucks.
Antetokounmpo has maintained that he wants to compete for a championship, but the Bucks (20-29) are languishing in the East.
“We’re not playing hard,” Antetokounmpo told reporters Jan. 21 after a 20-point loss against the Oklahoma City Thunder. “We’re not doing the right thing. We’re not playing to win. We’re not playing together. Our chemistry is not there. Guys are being selfish, trying to look for their own shots instead of looking for the right shot for the team. Guys trying to do it on their own.
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“At times, I feel like when we’re down 10, down 15, down 20, we try to make it up in one play, and it’s not going to work – we’ve just got to keep on chipping away, possession by possession.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Giannis staying put as Bucks end rumors before NBA trade deadline
