Will the Minnesota Timberwolves trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo? That's the million-dollar question right now. However, whether the Milwaukee Bucks will even trade the two-time MVP before Thursday's deadline is perhaps the billion-dollar question. For all the buzz around a possible Giannis trade, it was never a certainty that the Bucks would actually trade him. Recently, ESPN's Brian Windhorst made it seem likely that Giannis will stay in Milwaukee past Thursday.
"I am seeing action from the Miami Heat and Minnesota Timberwolves to improve their offer. The best offer I’m aware of belongs to the Warriors, but I’m not seeing a lot of momentum towards Milwaukee making a Giannis move,” Windhorst said during an appearance on Get Up.
Of course, things change quickly during this time of the year, and this doesn't totally crush a possible Giannis trade. Nevertheless, it's always been possible that the Bucks stand pat. Windhorst's comments come after Marc Stein reported that the Bucks might hold on to Giannis and test their luck in the draft lottery. Given how aggressively the Wolves are pursuing The Greek Freak and the upside of an Anthony Edwards-Giannis duo, this is disappointing news.
Perhaps this is just posturing to yield a better offer; however, there's a lot of smoke to support the idea that Giannis remains a part of the Bucks past Thursday. If Giannis isn't traded, expect the Wolves to upgrade their guard depth.
Windhorst's comments add to the uncertainty around Giannis
At face value, it's curious why the Bucks would keep Giannis. Let's be honest, it's clear he doesn't want to remain in Milwaukee long-term, and a high lottery pick won't do anything to convince him. Furthermore, in the summer, Giannis will have one year left on his deal, so he might try to push himself to one specific team.
In fairness to Milwaukee, though, several teams (including the Wolves) can make better offers in the summer due to having extra tradable first-round picks. Still, the more time that goes on, the less leverage Milwaukee will have.
Whether a deal happens before Thursday remains unclear, and as mentioned earlier, things can change instantly. I never thought the Wolves had a real chance to land Giannis until they freed up cap space and continued to be mentioned as one of the lead suitors by numerous reports. In fact, on Tuesday, Jake Fischer even said that momentum feels like it's trending toward Minnesota if a move happens.
There's plenty of uncertainty at this time of the year, and as outlined, it's unclear if Giannis gets moved. However, three things are certain: Minnesota is a very real threat to land Giannis, an Anthony Edwards-Giannis duo would be unstoppable, and Tim Connelly has proven he can make unexpected blockbuster moves before.