The writing may be on the wall for Giannis Antetokounmpo’s time in Milwaukee.The two-time NBA MVP’s future with the Milwaukee Bucks has been a hot topic of conversation for the past few seasons. Giannis’ future has been the topic of much discussion this offseasonGettyWith the season days away, that speculation was reignited after ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that Antetokounmpo had named the New York Knicks as his only preferred destination of choice should he opt to leave Milwaukee.Giannis signed a three-year extension on his Bucks deal in October 2023, which has paved the way for suggestions that a trade or a move might be possible, particularly if the Bucks disappoint as they did in 2024-25.A string of teams were linked with a move for the 2021 NBA Finals MVP, but NBA insider and talkSPORT contributor Marc Stein, doesn’t anticipate an in-season blockbuster move coming to pass “I personally don’t think an in-season trade is likely,” Stein exclusively told talkSPORT.“If there is a Giannis trade – and we’ve been talking about this now for a half decade – I don’t see anything happening until the off season.“The Bucks do not want to trade Giannis Antetokounmpo, no matter how much chatter there is. So an in-season trade is hard to picture.”It was only one year ago when – out of seemingly nowhere – the Knicks stunned the NBA when they traded for former No. 1 overall NBA Draft pick Karl-Anthony Towns from the Minnesota Timberwolves.The deal – when finalised, was a three-team exchange with the Charlotte Hornets – but it was a deal eventually overshadowed by the late-night blockbuster Luka Doncic trade between the Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks Five-time All-Star Doncic was brought to Hollywood with defensive juggernaut Anthony Davis heading to Texas and the two deals hinted at the potential for a summer of big name moves, not so says Stein.“I don’t know that we’re going to see seismic activity on that level in-season this season.Karl-Anthony Towns’ trade to the Knicks last summer shocked everyone as it came out of nowhereGettyAntetokounmpo has reportedly expressed the New York Knicks as his preferred landing spot if he were to be traded by the BucksGettyAntetokounmpo has ‘cracked the door open’Antetokounmpo and the Bucks are currently in preseason action before they begin the 2025-26 schedule in Canada against the Toronto Raptors.Ahead of their win over the Detroit Pistons on Thursday night, he spoke out about reports suggesting that the Knicks were his preferred destination.“First of all, I haven’t read that story. When the season started, I tried to get off social media, try to focus on my craft and the team,” he said, via Eric Nehm of The Athletic.“But yeah, I’ve said this many times: I want to be in situations where I can win, and right now I’m here. I believe in this team. I believe in my teammates.“I’m here to lead this team wherever we can go, and it’s going to be hard. We’re going to take it day by day, but I’m here. All the other extra stuff does not matter.“The moment I step on this court or in this facility and wear this jersey, the rest doesn’t matter. I’m locked into whatever I have in front of me. If in six or seven months I change my mind, I think that’s human too.”View Tweet: https://twitter.com/talkSPORT?ref_src=twsrc%5EtfwGiannis has maintained the same stance all offseason – and throughout intense speculation about his future – but talk of a move away from the team that drafted him as teenager with the 15th pick in 2013 refuses to go away. “There is no question that he loves Milwaukee. He’s going into year 13 as a Buck,” adds Stein.“It just blows me away when you hear that number and that he’s into his 30s now because he came here when he was so young.”“But the reality is there’s no escaping this for Giannis Antetokounmpo. He is the one who has cracked this door open.The Greek Freak led Milwaukee to their first ever NBA championship in 2021, but has failed to reach the ECFs sinceGETTY“On media day, one of the Bucks owners, Wes Edens, who is also one of the owners at Aston Villa, told the media in Milwaukee ‘I had a conversation with Giannis Antetokounmpo in June and he expressed that he’s very happy and committed here.’“And when Giannis was asked about that conversation, Giannis said ‘I don’t recall that conversation.’ So right away, a comment like that is going to invite the speculation that is swirling and it’s not the first time.”Tone of Antetokounmpo’s comments vastly different from those of Jokić’sStein was quick to compare how the ‘Greek Freak’ has gone about this business to that of three-time league MVP and Denver Nuggets superstar, Nikola Jokić.“When you compare that to what is happening in Denver, where on media day, Nikola Jokić says ‘my plan is to be Nuggets forever,’ it shuts down this discussion to a large degree.“But Giannis has made a comment or two along the way which… gives teams hope in front offices around the league. Teams believe that at some point Giannis is going to be in play and they want to be ready to pounce because the guy is, on his worst day, one of the three or four best players on earth at all times and he is an absolute monster.”In the 2024-25 campaign, Antetokounmpo led the Bucks in points, rebounds, and assists, averaging 30.4 points at a 60.1 percent shooting clip, 11.9 rebounds and 6.5 assists through 67 regular season outings. Unlike Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokic has made his feelings clear about staying with the Nuggets for his careerGettyUnder the leadership of veteran head coach Doc Rivers, the Bucks could only muster 48 wins on the season, a total that saw them finish fifth in the Eastern Conference.Suffering a plethora of injuries, the Bucks were eliminated from the playoffs at the first hurdle by the Indiana Pacers, securing the Bucks’ third consecutive first-round postseason exit.If Antetokounmpo’s ultimate goal is to lift more silverware before his career comes to an end, then he may have to force his way out of the small-market Bucks franchise.“The Knicks are already out there and the Knicks have been out there… in November of last year I was writing about the Knicks’ interest in Giannis and how they would be a credible suitor for Giannis if he ever became available because his affection for New York is pretty well known around the league at this point,” Stein continued.“The Bucks aren’t even entertaining the idea of trading Giannis Antetokounmpo until he comes to [them] and says ‘I want to be moved. I want you guys to trade me.’ …“He has not formally asked for a trade, and until he does, the Bucks don’t wanna hear it.”The Lillard-Antetokounmpo experiment in Milwaukee didn’t work out, with the Bucks exiting the playoffs at the first hurdle for the third straight yearWhilst he appears to have made his preferred destination known, the onus to make the final decision lies with the team which will leave the question of compensation. Antetokounmpo becomes eligible for a four-year, $275 million max extension in October 2026, but he would also be eligible to sign the same deal with another team in the NBA six months after a trade, if that were to happen.“If we get to that point, and that day arrives where Giannis says, ‘I want to go elsewhere,’ the first question will be, are the Bucks going to work with him to trade him to a destination of his choosing like New York?” considers Stein.“Or, are the Bucks going to say, ‘we are opening this up to 29 teams and we are going to trade him where we get the best offer?’ “Another variable here is that Giannis is extension eligible next summer, and so how risky can teams that’s not on his list be in putting assets on the table to trade for him if they don’t have a long-term commitment from him?…“So it will be interesting to see how much control over the destination Giannis has.”Marc Stein has been covering the NBA for more than three decades and was honored by the Basketball Hall of Fame for his reporting with the Curt Gowdy Award in 2019. Sign up for his Substack and follow him on X @TheSteinLine.