Friday started with Giannis Antetokounmpo rumors on morning and afternoon sports television, as talks of him possibly demanding a trade “intensified” and the split between the multi-time MVP and Milwaukee Bucks was nearing its boiling point.
Friday ended with the Greek superstar on the bench, his brother Thanasis Antetokounmpo, consoling him after leaving the game with a minute left in what looks to be a non-contact leg injury.
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It was one of the oddest games of Antetokounmpo’s career against the Denver Nuggets. Instead of being proactive, it almost seemed like the focal point of the team was merely a passenger, barely shooting the ball and not even jogging back on defense during some possessions.
At one point, he left the entire game without warning, walking down into the tunnel before returning later to play, without anyone knowing what was happening.
Although unconfirmed, the non-contact injury appears similar to the calf strain that kept him out for weeks in December before he finally returned at the start of the new year.
With only two weeks before the NBA trade deadline, all eyes and ears will be on Antetokounmpo and the Bucks. Now 18-26, outside of the Eastern Conference play-in, and their best player possibly sidelined for the next few weeks if it is the same injury reaggravated, it could all be over the Giannis-era in Wisconsin.
If the Bucks do intend to trade Antetokounmpo, don’t expect the injury to change the king’s ransom they might ask for unless it is something that keeps him out for the rest of the season.
Expect the Miami Heat, Minnesota Timberwolves, New York Knicks, Los Angeles Lakers, Golden State Warriors, and more to make offers for one of the league’s best players. Franchises around the league have already been rumored not to have made any trades thus far in the anticipation that Antetokounmpo would be put up on the trade block.
The NBA trade deadline is on Feb. 5, 2026, at 3 p.m. ET.
