RealGM Basketball Wiretap

15 June 2025

• Bucks Plan To Stay In Tax Under 2nd Apron To Keep Core Intact Alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo

  Giannis Antetokounmpo is expected to begin the 2025-26 season with the Milwaukee Bucks, according to sources. However, the current sentiment could change throughout the offseason depending on roster construction and organizational decisions.

  General Manager Jon Horst and head coach Doc Rivers have presented ownership with plans to maintain the team's core around Antetokounmpo. The franchise believes it can compete as a top-six Eastern Conference team, particularly if Damian Lillard returns healthy for the playoffs.

  Milwaukee faces critical financial decisions regarding Brook Lopez's free agency and Bobby Portis's $13.4 million player option. These moves will significantly impact the team's payroll structure and competitive positioning moving forward.

  Sources indicate the Bucks are prepared to enter the luxury tax again after paying over $200 million in penalties during recent seasons. The organization plans to keep its payroll below the $196 million first apron threshold to maintain access to more of the $14 million midlevel exception.

  Milwaukee is exploring point guard options to fill in for Lillard during his rehabilitation. Dennis Schroder, Tyus Jones, and Malcolm Brogdon have emerged as candidates.

  The Bucks' offseason maneuvers will provide stakeholders with clarity on the franchise's realistic championship prospects with Antetokounmpo. These decisions could ultimately influence the superstar's long-term commitment to Milwaukee.

• Giannis Antetokounmpo Expected To Remain With Bucks

  Giannis Antetokounmpo will remain with the Milwaukee Bucks after he was on the precipice of a possible exit in May when he was reportedly open-minded about his future for the first time. There has been no direct reporting of a possible meeting between Antetokounmpo and the Bucks to decide to continue their partnership, but ESPN's Brian Windhorst reported Thursday that the NBA has accepted Antetokounmpo will remain with Milwaukee.

  "There's not going to be a Giannis Antetokounmpo trade in the short-term future," said Windhorst on Thursday's Get Up. "The league has come to terms with the realization that the Bucks are going to keep him and Giannis is not going to ask for a trade. I can't speak for what might happen in August."

  The Bucks have maintained the hope of keeping Antetokounmpo to reset their roster around him and to become title contenders again over the medium term. Antetokounmpo will turn 31 in December.

  The Bucks have historically responded to Antetokounmpo's contract decisions with major acquisitions. They traded for Jrue Holiday in 2020 before Antetokounmpo's supermax extension, then flipped Holiday for Damian Lillard in 2023. Such blockbuster moves appear unlikely this offseason due to salary cap constraints and a dearth of future draft assets.

  Antetokounmpo cannot become a free agent until 2027, but he will be eligible to sign a four-year, $293 million contract extension during the 2026 offseason. Antetokounmpo is represented by Alex Saratsis and Jeff Austin.

  Antetokounmpo is coming off a third place MVP finish and averages of 30.4 points, 11.9 rebounds, 6.5 assists and 1.2 blocks. Antetokounmpo also had a PER of 30.1, which was the fourth time he's been over 30.0 in his career.

• Warriors Could Pursue Bobby Portis In Free Agency

  If Bobby Portis declines his $13.4 million player option with the Milwaukee Bucks for next season, he's expected to have no shortage of suitors in free agency. One team that could pursue Portis is the Golden State Warriors.

  The Warriors need additional frontcourt depth. Draymond Green, Quinten Post and Trayce Jackson-Davis are the only bigs under contract for Golden State for next season. Portis could play a major role in the Warriors big man rotation.

  In addition, Warriors coach Steve Kerr is fond of Portis. The veteran big man played for Kerr on the United States entry at the 2023 FIBA World Cup.

  If Giannis Antetokounmpo stays with the Bucks, they are expected to try to retain Portis as well. Teams are now preparing as if Antetokounmpo won't request a trade away from Milwaukee, as he keeps hinting a return to the Bucks.

• Giannis Antetokounmpo Could Wait Until NBA's Offseason Plays Out Before Deciding Future

  Giannis Antetokounmpo has not requested a trade from the Milwaukee Bucks and may wait until deep into the offseason to fully decide whether he wants to remain with the franchise that drafted him in 2013.

  "From what I'm told, his status will not be tied to the NBA draft," said Shams Charania. "It won't be tied to free agency. It's much more likely that his future plays out into July and into August, in terms of him seeing the landscape of not only the Bucks, seeing the landscape of the league, seeing what other teams do. I mean, listen, when you're a star of that caliber, the league moves how you want it to move. The league will move when you're ready to ask for a trade, or if you're ready to then say, 'I'm staying. I want to be back.'

  "Of course, around the league, there is a level of skepticism because Giannis Antetokounmpo has been loyal. He's been there 12 years. His brand is all about loyalty right now. So there's a level of skepticism: does he really go through with it? There's a difference between being open-minded and, from what I'm told, exploring other options-actively exploring other options. There's a difference between doing that and asking for a trade. He's in the process of figuring out exactly what he wants to do."

  For his part, Antetokounmpo has given hints he still wants to remain with the Bucks for another run to the Finals.

  The Bucks have Antetokounmpo under contract through at least the 2026-27 season, as his new three-year extension will kick in with this coming season, with a player option for the 2027-28 season. Antetokounmpo is set to be on the book for a projected max salary of $54.1 million for next season.

  "From my understanding, I think Jon Horst and Doc Rivers genuinely believe this team can compete in the Eastern Conference," added Charania.

• Giannis Antetokounmpo Hints At Staying With Bucks In Hopes Of Another Finals Run

  Giannis Antetokounmpo has begun dropping hints about remaining with the Milwaukee Bucks long-term. The two-time MVP responded to a StatMuse post highlighting players with the highest combined averages for points, rebounds and assists in NBA Finals history.

  Antetokounmpo leads that statistical category with 53.3, ahead of Nikola Jokic in second place. His response on social media suggested a commitment to returning to championship contention with Milwaukee.

  "Let's get back there," Antetokounmpo wrote on X.

  The Bucks have operated throughout the offseason under the assumption that their franchise cornerstone will remain in Milwaukee. Rival teams have increasingly lost hope about Antetokounmpo potentially becoming available on the trade market.

  Antetokounmpo is signed with the Bucks through the 2027 offseason, giving Milwaukee three more years of his prime.

• Kevin Porter Jr. To Decline $2.5M Option With Bucks To Become Free Agent

  Kevin Porter Jr. is expected to decline his $2.5 million player option for the 25-26 season with the Milwaukee Buckets to become a free agent.

  Porter sat out the entire 23-24 season as his plea deal process for a domestic assault in 2023 was resolved. Porter has not suspended by the NBA as their investigation has been ongoing.

  Porter was traded by the LA Clippers to the Bucks at the trade deadline. In 30 games with the Bucks, Porter averaged 11.7 points, 3.9 rebounds and 3.7 assists in 19.9 minutes. Porter also had a career high PER of 20.0. Porter is represented by Sam Permut.

• Giannis Antetokounmpo Hasn't Requested Trade; Bucks Plan To Continue Building Around Star

  One month after Giannis Antetokounmpo was reportedly open-minded about a potential future where he leaves the Milwaukee Bucks, there have been no further updates on what he prefers to do as the offseason quickly approaches. Because there has been no trade request signaled to the Bucks, the front office is planning for Antetokounmpo to remain with the franchise and they will continue to build around him.

  "There's a reason we haven't because Giannis Antetokounmpo has gone overseas to travel with his family," said Brian Windhorst on Get Up when asked why there haven't been any updates. "He has made no trade request to the Bucks. He has made no trade hint to the Bucks. The Bucks are proceeding with their offseason as if Giannis is going to be with them. And there's no significant trade talks right now.

  "The plan is for Giannis Antetokounmpo to be a Buck. Now, he can change all that with a simple request, but that request hasn't happened. And it's no clear that request is going to happy anytime soon."

  Antetokounmpo cannot become a free agent until 2027 and is coming off another top-3 MVP finish.

  In late May, Shams Charania reported that Antetokounmpo was still considering his future and that the situation could be resolved one way or another closer to the start of free agency.

• Pat Connaughton Expected To Pick Up $9.4M Player Option With Bucks

  Milwaukee Bucks wing Pat Connaughton is soon expected to exercise his $9.4 million player option with the Milwaukee Bucks. Connaughton has a deadline of June 24 but can pick up the option in advance of that deadline.

  Connaughton appeared in only 41 games for Milwaukee last season. Those were his fewest games played since he joined the Bucks in 2018. The 10-year veteran put up his worse stats since becoming a regular rotation player in his second season. Connaughton averaged 5.3 points on 47% shooting but hit just 32% from behind the arc.

  Next season would be the final year of the three-year, $28.3 million extension Connaughton signed with the Bucks in 2022.

• Rival Teams Lose Confidence In Giannis Antetokounmpo Trade Possibility

  The momentum for Giannis Antetokounmpo requesting a trade from the Milwaukee Bucks has significantly stalled since the NBA draft combine in May with the common belief amongst league insiders that he will remain with the only franchise he's ever played for. On the morning of the lottery, Antetokounmpo was reported to be "open-minded" about leaving the Bucks for the first time. The Bucks have hoped to convince Antetokounmpo to remain with the franchise and be patient with their attempts to retool their roster.
  
  "Honestly, right now I'd say the prevailing sentiment from rival teams that I'm speaking to-around the combine two weeks ago, two and a half weeks ago-there was no shortage of optimism, of hope, of excitement from other teams that they were going to be able to potentially make an offer to get Giannis Antetokounmpo into their franchise, into their building," said Jake Fischer on Thursday's Bleacher Report livestream.

  "Of late, I'd say that that confidence has been replaced with skepticism. To a man, from talking to agents, team executives, whoever, there is not a lot of belief right now at this juncture. It's only June 5th-anything could happen-and I've been told all along that if there is a decision, a formal decision made to shut or open the door on trade conversations for Giannis this summer, that it would likely happen closer to the end of June and when the offseason really, really begins.

  "But I'd say for now, for now, talking to people around the league, the assessment and the expectation is that they're going to believe it when they see it-that someone who has valued being the franchise face, that the central lynchpin of the Bucks franchise, is going to want to play somewhere else."

• Giannis Antetokounmpo Trade Rumors Cool As Multiple NBA Insiders Express Growing Doubt

  Reports from both The Athletic and the New York Post this week have suggested there is a growing belief that Giannis Antetokounmpo may not actually become available via trade this offseason. The Milwaukee Bucks were scheduled to meet with Antetokounmpo last month, but no reports have surfaced on how it went or if it has even taken place. The Bucks have reportedly been eager to convince Antetokounmpo to remain with the franchise and that they can reset the roster around him to remain competitive in the suddenly wide open Eastern Conference.

  "With the NBA draft three weeks away, several league personnel who spoke with The Post are less convinced that Giannis Antetokounmpo will actually become available," writes Brian Lewis at the New York Post.

  "There has been recent uncertainty in the past week on Antetokounmpo's actual availability," writes Kelly Iko at The Athletic.

  Antetokounmpo cannot become a free agent until 2027 and is coming off another top-3 MVP finish.

  As of late May, Antetokounmpo was still weighing his future with the Bucks ahead of the critical meeting. On the morning of the lottery in May, Shams Charania reported that Antetokounmpo was open-minded about his future beyond the Bucks for the first time. With the San Antonio Spurs moving up to No. 2 at the lottery, their ability to possibly trade for Antetokounmpo was perceived as greatly improving. The Houston Rockets are also a team that could assemble an attractive trade package to the Bucks for Antetokounmpo.