Welp. Put a bow on it. The Minnesota Timberwolves’ not-so-secret, even-less-subtle dreams of acquiring Giannis Antetokounmpo in a deadline deal with the Milwaukee Bucks have clearly gone up in flames.
Shams Charania surely would’ve mentioned him by name if he were going to suit up for the Western Conference contenders at any point in the near future. Instead, he went the nebulous route, informing the legions of NBA fans hanging on his every word that the Wolves plan to “pursue a Milwaukee star this week.”
Bulls and Pistons have desires met here in a young and veteran guards to Chicago and a sharpshooter goes to Detroit. Minnesota creates significant tax savings and roster space as they pursue a Milwaukee star this week. https://t.co/u9FiTn4wTD
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 3, 2026
Confusion abounds. Who could it possibly be? Why is Charania subjecting us to such torturous levels of secrecy and subterfuge?
On the heels of the three-team trade involving Minnesota, the Detroit Pistons, and the Chicago Bulls, we have no choice but to put on our detective caps and start sleuthing.
Who could the mystery ‘Milwaukee star’ be?
Is it Myles Turner?
It can’t possibly be. The big man signed with the Bucks in free agency this offseason after surviving years and years of his name’s omnipresence in trade rumors. While his Milwaukee tenure hasn’t gone as planned, he’s fallen so far from grace that it’s difficult to affix the “star” label to his resume. Someone deserving that celestial tag would probably be averaging more than 12.8 points and 5.5 rebounds.
So let’s turn our attention to — damn, perusing the Milwaukee depth chart makes it obvious how difficult this star-seeking exercise can be — Kevin Porter Jr. I guess? Are we already blatantly grasping at straws?
The 25-year-old is having a fantastic season in relative obscurity, posting 16.8 points, 7.4 assists, and 5.0 rebounds per game. But he's also out of action with an oblique injury and doesn't yet have a timetable to return. And that's saying nothing of the fact he was out of the league just a few years back. Let's scratch him off the list.
It can't be Ryan Rollins. He's having a breakout year in his age-23 campaign, but there's no way Milwaukee would part with him while he's on such a cheap deal — and certainly not as the centerpiece of a blockbuster.
Bobby Portis? A.J. Green? Gary Trent Jr.? We're quickly moving further into heretofore-uncharted grasping-at-straws territory.
I suppose it has to be Kyle Kuzma. Yeah, he’s about to turn 31. Sure, he's not really a game-changer coming off the Milwaukee bench. But the dude has 4.5 million Instagram followers. If that doesn’t have shouts of stardom ringing from the rafters of Fiserv Forum, what does?
Or — and here’s a wild thought — maybe Charania really is just referring to Giannis.
Told you we’d get to the bottom of this. It wasn’t even that tricky.