RealGM Basketball Wiretap

23 May 2026

• Taylor Jenkins Adds Darvin Ham, Patrick St. Andrews, Joe Boylan To Bucks' Coaching Staff

  Darvin Ham, Patrick St. Andrews and Joe Boylan are all expected to join new Milwaukee Bucks head coach Taylor Jenkins' staff for the 2026-27 season.

  Ham brings head coaching experience to the role, having compiled a 90-74 record across two seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers, including a Western Conference finals run in 2023. Ham interviewed for the New Orleans vacancy this spring before the Pelicans hired Jamahl Mosley.

  The appointment reunites Ham with Jenkins, who first worked together on Mike Budenholzer's Atlanta Hawks staff. Both later moved to Milwaukee with Budenholzer for the 2018-19 season before Jenkins departed for Memphis and Ham remained with the Bucks through 2022.

  St. Andrews, a nine-year NBA assistant, also traces his coaching roots to Budenholzer's Atlanta staff. He followed the same path to Milwaukee and later joined Jenkins in Memphis in 2023 before moving to Portland, where he has worked under interim Trail Blazers head coach Tiago Splitter.

  Jenkins addressed the bonds formed during that 2018-19 Milwaukee staff at his introductory news conference.

  "They're definitely brothers to me, for sure," said Jenkins. "The staff that was here when I was here in Milwaukee, I remain unbelievably close friends and brothers with, supporting each other.

  "They've made a tremendous impact on me, both personally and professionally, basketball-wise. The intimate nature of our job, we're around each other all the time. You're having great debates in coaches' meetings, in the locker room, on the plane rides. You're doing things out in your communities, road cities, wherever it is. You're sharing a lot of time together, and how we pour into each other, those connections were immediate."

  Boylan rounds out the trio, having joined Jenkins' Grizzlies staff in 2024-25. He previously served three seasons under Chris Finch in Minnesota and spent over a decade in player development with several NBA organizations. Boylan is a noted practitioner of the Constraints-Led Approach to player development.

• Giannis Antetokounmpo's Trade Value Could Be Boosted By Victor Wembanyama's Emergence

  Despite concerns heading into this offseason about Giannis Antetokounmpo's trade value, Victor Wembanyama's emergence as a singular force may be shifting that calculation back in the Milwaukee Bucks' favor. Few players in the NBA present a credible counterforce to Wembanyama, and Giannis is widely viewed as one of them.

  Antetokounmpo's market value had faced headwinds entering the summer. Executives cited his injury history since his championship season in 2021, the growing premium on first-round picks under proposed lottery changes, and reluctance to commit a long-term supermax contract to a player in his thirties.

  But Wembanyama's performance throughout the regular season and against the Oklahoma City Thunder has prompted fresh conversations throughout the league. Three veteran executives, speaking anonymously to The Athletic, said teams are now actively considering roster construction through the lens of competing with the Spurs long-term.

  "Yeah, Giannis is a matchup solution for Wemby, so I could definitely see teams factoring that in when they're discussing trading for him," said one Western Conference executive.

  The 6-11, 243-pound forward brings the athleticism, physical profile, and versatility to play inside and out that executives consider essential against Wembanyama. Those qualities are rare and difficult to replicate through the draft or traditional roster moves.

  Teams already appear to be preparing. One Eastern Conference executive pointed to the Utah Jazz acquiring Jaren Jackson and retaining size on their roster as evidence that front offices are building specifically with Wembanyama in mind.

  "Trust me, it's on everybody's mind," the executive said. "Teams will try to find ways that they can build a roster out to beat the Spurs, just like they are to beat OKC."

  The urgency of the Wembanyama problem may give Milwaukee unexpected negotiating leverage in Giannis trade discussions this summer.

  All four teams competing in the Conference Finals, the Spurs, Thunder, New York Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers, have been linked with Antetokounmpo at various points. Both the Spurs and Thunder have appeared to signal a lack of interest in parting with the type of trade package that would be necessary to acquire Antetokounmpo, while the Knicks and Cavaliers lack enough tradeable future first round picks that the Bucks are expected to seek in a deal.

• Warriors Don't Have Best Package For Giannis Antetokounmpo

  In a recent appearance on 95.7 The Game in the Bay Area, ESPN NBA reporter Anthony Slater gave an update on the Golden State Warriors offseason plan. Slater said that Golden State doesn't appear to be "big game hunting" this offseason. That includes being high on the list of teams chasing Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks.

  "I think (the Warriors) are not first in line, not second, or third in line really at this point as far as packages that appeal most to Milwaukee," Slater said.

  The Warriors reportedly expressed interest in trading for Antetokounmpo leading up to the trade deadline. That was expected to continue into this offseason. But unless Golden State is willing to trade Jimmy Butler, or to build a package built around Draymond Green, it's hard for the team to match salary for the Bucks superstar.

  Beyond Antetokounmpo, Slater said the Warriors don't seem to have the "same level of thirst" to go after a superstar. He expects Golden State to add some "mid-prime" players, so that the team doesn't trend towards a roster full of end-of-career veterans and not-ready-yet young players.

• Lakers Likely Won't Have Best Offer For Giannis Antetokounmpo

  In a recent appearance on The Rich Eisen Show, ESPN NBA Insider Shams Charania gave an update on Giannis Antetokounmpo and the possibility he is trading from the Milwaukee Bucks. Charania acknowledged that the Los Angeles Lakers will likely have interest in trading for Antetokounmpo this offseason. However, Charania said it's unlikely that the Lakers will be able to match the best offers for the Bucks superstar.

  "The Lakers expressed interest in Giannis Antetokounmpo at the deadline. Right now, what they'll be able to offer is three first-round picks and cap space, and essentially absorb Giannis's contract," Charania said. "Now, if you're the Bucks, are you just going to trade Giannis to the Lakers for cap space for three first-round picks? My sense is they're going to get better in the marketplace than that. I think there's a bigger appetite than that. And so, time will tell. We'll know in the next six weeks."

  In order for the Lakers to create the cap space to acquire Antetokounmpo directly, they'll have to renounce most of their pending free agents. That's a group that includes LeBron James and Rui Hachimura among several others.

• Bucks Expected To Acquire Additional 2026 NBA Draft Picks

  There is an expectation from the Milwaukee Bucks that they will have multiple selections in this year's draft, rival teams tell ESPN's Jeremy Woo. The Bucks have their own pick at No. 10 where they are currently mocked by ESPN to draft Nate Ament.

  The Bucks have three tradeable first round picks, but acquiring extra selections in the June draft presumes they are part of a return on a Giannis Antetokounmpo deal.

  Antetokounmpo continues to signal he prefers a trade from the Bucks this offseason.

  The Bucks do not control their own first round pick until 2031 due to previous trades for Jrue Holiday and Damian Lillard.

• Giannis Antetokounmpo Continues To Prefer Trade From Bucks

  Giannis Antetokounmpo continues to signal to the Milwaukee Bucks that he is ready to move on from the franchise this offseason via trade. After this month's lottery, ESPN's Shams Charania reported that the Bucks had begun listening to trade offers for Antetokounmpo and those conversations are expected to gain momentum into June.

  "Between now and June 23rd, those conversations are going to start picking up and escalating," said Charania on Monday's episode of The Pat McAfee Show. "I reported last week on this show that the Bucks were officially open for business on all offers on all trade calls. That has continued into this week and is only going to continue.

  "The crux of this is that Giannis has believed for a period of months now that it's time for both sides to move on. The Bucks obviously felt last year that they had a team that could compete, and when you have Giannis on your team, you do everything you can. We've seen that with their general manager Jon Horst [make trades for] Jrue Holiday in 2020, Damian Lillard in 2023, Myles Turner last summer. They're going to make swings. They're going to go all in.

  "But this is a team that has gone all in over and over again, and I think it has reached the point where you have to ask: how much more all-in can you go? Do you even have the pieces necessary to do so? Those conversations will continue to pick up, from ownership to management, with Giannis.

  "One thing I did pick up last week and into this week: Giannis's stance has not changed from what I've reported over the last several months. This is a situation we'll keep an eye on over the next five to six weeks."

  The Minnesota Timberwolves, Los Angeles Lakers, New York Knicks, Miami Heat, Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors all had interest in Antetokounmpo at the trade deadline. The Wolves and Heat had more extensive discussions on a trade.

  Antetokounmpo will become eligible for a four-year, $275 million extension in October.

• Wolves Likely To Re-Engage On Giannis Antetokounmpo Trade

  In the wake of falling the second round of the playoffs to the San Antonio Spurs, the Minnesota Timberwolves are expected to look at upgrading their roster. The Wolves are looking to put themselves on the level of the Spurs and the Oklahoma City Thunder as contenders in the Western Conference.

  One thing Minnesota may look into is re-engaging on trade talks for Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Timberwolves and Bucks reportedly discussed a potential Antetokounmpo earlier this year, but thing never got very far. Milwaukee is expected to more seriously entertain offers for the star forward this offseason.

  The Wolves have at least two first-round draft picks they could offer in trade for Antetokounmpo. Minnesota also has some large salaries attached to frontcourt players that they could move in a deal.

• NBA Executives Increasingly Expect Giannis Antetokounmpo Trade As Bucks Signal Desire To Move On

  After years of speculation, the belief around the NBA has shifted with the expectation that the Milwaukee Bucks will trade Giannis Antetokounmpo this offseason. League insiders at the draft combine in Chicago described the Bucks as a franchise ready to move on after several disappointing playoff runs and the limbo of Antetokounmpo's status throughout the 2025-26 season.

  "It just feels like they're done with the circus, more than anything," an Eastern Conference executive said. "They seem to want a clean break and to move on."

  Co-owner Jimmy Haslam set the June 23-24 NBA draft as a target deadline for resolution. Milwaukee's front office must choose between rebuilding through a trade or retaining Antetokounmpo and improving around him. The belief around the league is that if Antetokounmpo remains on the roster when he becomes eligible for a four-year, $275 million extension on October 1, he will sign it.

  Antetokounmpo has one season remaining on his contract plus a player option. Recent history shows that star players in similar situations typically influence their own trade destination, affecting their overall value to acquiring teams.

  The deals sending Kawhi Leonard from the San Antonio Spurs to the Toronto Raptors in 2018 and Anthony Davis from the New Orleans Pelicans to the Los Angeles Lakers in 2019 serve as the modern blueprint. Both reshuffled the league's balance of power and produced championships for the acquiring franchises.

  The NBA's proposed lottery reform adds another variable. Teams in Chicago expect the league to approve a new "3-2-1" system this month, giving up to 18 franchises a realistic shot at the top pick. How that affects Antetokounmpo's trade market remains unclear as some executives predict teams will be less likely to trade future picks due to the more even odds.

  "If someone can get Giannis, they might win the offseason," an East executive said. "For all the distractions and injuries over the last few years, he remains a top-five player in his prime, and those guys aren't available often. That's why this matters so much."

• Myles Turner Reveals Lack Of Discipline Under Doc Rivers, Singles Out Giannis For Chronic Tardiness

  Milwaukee Bucks center Myles Turner publicly criticized the team's lack of discipline under former coach Doc Rivers, singling out Giannis Antetokounmpo for habitual tardiness during their disappointing 32-50 season. Turner made the remarks on the "Game Recognize Game" podcast with New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart.

  "Guys were late all the time," said Turner. "Guys were showing up to film whenever they wanted to show up. Guys were missing meetings. It was one of the craziest things I personally ever experienced."

  Turner identified Antetokounmpo as the primary offender when Stewart asked who was most frequently late.

  "Giannis. Giannis is going to show up whenever he wants, really," said Turner. "I think that this kind of just came with the territory that -- and once I saw what was going down, I was like, 'Hey man, more power to you. They ain't going to fine you. S---, do what you do.'"

  The pattern extended to team travel. Turner said players routinely arrived an hour late to flights, eventually prompting him to adjust his own schedule accordingly.

  Rivers was dismissed April 13 following Milwaukee's first losing season in nine years. ESPN had previously reported a season-long rift between Rivers and the roster, including low-effort practices and a tense team meeting in March.

  Turner, who signed a four-year, $108.9 million deal from the Indiana Pacers last offseason, contrasted the experience with his previous stops.

  "Any other team I've been on, guys got fined. And there was a sense of order and a sense of understanding," said Turner. "But I personally did not experience that last year for the first time in my career. So we'll see what Taylor Jenkins does, our new coach."

  The Bucks hired former Memphis Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins to replace Rivers. Meanwhile, Milwaukee is actively seeking trade offers for Antetokounmpo, with co-owner Jimmy Haslam setting the June 23-24 NBA draft as a target deadline for resolution.

• NBA Clears Bucks After Investigation Into Giannis Antetokounmpo's Late-Season Absence

  The NBA has concluded its investigation into the Milwaukee Bucks regarding the late-season shutdown of Giannis Antetokounmpo and determined no further action is warranted. The league launched its probe in early April after conflicting accounts emerged from the player and the franchise.

  Antetokounmpo hyperextended his left knee on March 15 and did not appear again for Milwaukee during the regular season. The two-time MVP stated repeatedly that he was healthy enough to return but that the team refused to medically clear him. The Bucks told the league they did not believe Antetokounmpo genuinely wanted to play.

  Central to the dispute was a 3-on-3 scrimmage requirement as part of the knee injury return protocol. Milwaukee told investigators Antetokounmpo declined to participate. Antetokounmpo disputed that account directly with league officials.

  "From my understanding, coming back to play, which I don't think I ever had any return-to-play protocol, but to my understanding was I had to play 3-on-3 to be able to be available to play," Antetokounmpo said at his end-of-season news conference. "I did that multiple times. I've never in my life denied participation of practice."

  The closed investigation does little to resolve Antetokounmpo's standing with the franchise. Sources told ESPN that Milwaukee is actively soliciting trade offers for the star forward heading into the offseason.

  Among some of the reasons why Antetokounmpo was frustrated by the Bucks' decision was him missing a bonus as part of his Nike contract tied to playing in at least 41 games.