ESPN's Shams Charania recently reported that Thanasis Antetokounmpo is signing a one-year, $2.9 million deal to return to the Milwaukee Bucks. The more significant implication of this latest move by the Bucks is that it also means Giannis Antetokounmpo is staying put in Milwaukee heading into the 2025-26 NBA season.
It was always a pipe dream for the Portland Trail Blazers to land a top-three player in the world in Giannis, but it became relatively more likely this summer. The Blazers surprisingly checked all the boxes as a dark horse team to make an all-in move for the Greek Freak should he become available. They have the former teammate connections with Damian Lillard and Jrue Holiday, as well as Milwaukee's future draft capital, thanks to the lopsided Lillard trade.
Portland is looking to accelerate its rebuilding timeline and get back to the playoffs, and Giannis would have been the ideal missing piece to help them achieve those lofty goals. Not to mention, the Blazers are well-equipped to add a superstar because of the amount of elite role players they have. Frontcourt pieces like Deni Avdija, Toumani Camara, and Donovan Clingan are all ideal complementary options on a contending team.
Portland's quest for star power continues
Alas, the Blazers will have to continue their quest to find that 1a option to help them get over the hump in the stacked Western Conference. For now, it doesn't appear that Giannis is Portland's pathway to contention.
NBA insider Marc Stein addressed what this means for the Bucks [subscription required] going forward:
"I said over and over to anyone who asked in the offseason that I didn't think Giannis could bring himself to ask to be moved to another team. We'll see if he ever reaches that point, but my read is that he is simply not ready to be the one who initiates the dissolution of this mostly storybook marriage, while the Bucks — based on what I keep hearing — remain adamant that they are not going to trade him unless No. 34 is the one that decides to force the issue."
Portland won't be getting Giannis anytime soon. However, the door needs to remain slightly cracked open relative to other teams around the league. And the silver lining is that the Bucks still don't have enough pieces to contend, as Giannis will soon discover that Myles Turner isn't the needle mover or solution to a flawed and aging roster.
"Even with all the injuries in the East and the latest round of aggressive dice-rolling from GM Jon Horst, I'm still not sure Milwaukee has a top-five team … even in the decidedly weaker conference. But the Bucks do still have Giannis, which means they still have a puncher's chance," Stein added.
The dream Giannis-Lillard reunion went out the window for now, but Portland still needs to closely monitor the situation, especially given their multiple connections to Milwaukee.
The NBA landscape is constantly changing. There's still a possibility that Giannis ultimately requests a trade, especially since it would be three consecutive underwhelming seasons if Milwaukee comes up short again. That could be perfect timing for the Blazers with new owner Tom Dundon set to take over in 2026. What better way to make a splash?