Letter confirms Bucks and Knicks discussed trade! Claims he was offended by owner's remarks: "A slap to my face"

On April 6 Beijing time, Giannis Antetokounmpo confirmed that the Bucks and the Knicks had engaged in trade discussions regarding the two-time NBA MVP. In a feature interview written by Nicole for Giannis in the Milwaukee Sentinel,the Bucks superstar acknowledged that negotiations between the team and the Knicks indeed took place.

Reporter Shams reported on October 8, 2025 (two weeks before the start of the 2025-26 season) that Giannis explicitly stated if the Bucks decided to trade him, the Knicks were the only team he would agree to be sent to. Shams also mentioned that the Knicks indeed inquired with the Bucks about Giannis at that time, and the two sides had "engaged in dialogue" as early as August, but the trade never progressed substantively.

Before this year's trade deadline, SNY reporter Begley reported that the Knicks would be one of the teams actively pursuing Giannis with offers to the Bucks.

Additionally, in this interview, Giannis expressed that he felt offended by remarks made by team co-owner and current team lead Wes Edens on ESPN a few weeks earlier.

"Giannis is entering the final year of his contract," Edens said in an interview with ESPN reporter Shelburne, "so there are only two possibilities: either he extends his contract or he is traded. We cannot let him play out the final year and leave for nothing; the team cannot afford that loss, it's not in the team's interest. This isn't about Giannis specifically; it applies to any player entering the final year of their contract."

These words could be interpreted as an ultimatum, but Giannis conveyed a completely different feeling in his interview with Nicole."For me, it felt like a slap, a hard slap to my face," Giannis said.

Giannis's salary for the 2026-27 season is $58.5 million, and he has a player option worth $62.8 million for the 2027-28 season. He will be eligible to sign a four-year maximum extension contract on October 1 this year (the exact amount depends on the final salary cap for the 2027-28 season). If he does not extend and opts out of his player option, he will become an unrestricted free agent in 2027.

The 31-year-old forward told the Sentinel that he learned about Edens's stance only after the ESPN report was published. He admitted being very dissatisfied with this indirect communication method.

"It speaks volumes..." Giannis said. According to Nicole's description, the two-time MVP did not show "anger" or "accusation" when answering questions, but his attitude was very frank and direct.

Nicole asked Giannis how many times he communicated with Edens during the 2025-26 season; he recalled only one online video call. Another team owner, Jimmy Haslam, also participated in that call, and besides that, he had a separate conversation with Haslam.

ESPN previously reported that the Bucks' ownership structure is unique, with the team lead role rotating between Edens and Haslam every five years (Haslam will take over as team lead in 2028). Besides these two controlling owners, another team shareholder, Jamie Dinan, also participates in major decisions.

Giannis couldn't help but ask whether the Nuggets or Thunder would make similar remarks about Nikola Jokić or Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

"Especially considering I have always been so loyal to the team, to this city, to the fans, to everyone I've worked with, and always grateful," Giannis said, "but those words almost felt like a slap to me."

This is not the first time Giannis and Edens have publicly expressed differing positions. At the Bucks media day last September, Edens told reporters that he had a "very pleasant conversation" with Giannis in June, and the nine-time All-Star "clearly stated he would fully commit to Milwaukee." But at that time, Giannis directly responded that he did not recall having such a conversation at all.

According to Nicole's report, Giannis reiterated his loyalty and love for Milwaukee in this interview, while also clearly stating that he hopes future communications between him and the Bucks will be conducted privately.

"I'm here, I'm committed to the team, wearing this jersey. If I said 'I don't want to be here,' that would be disrespectful to my teammates, the coaching staff, and everyone who has fought and sweated alongside me—I would never do that," Giannis told the Sentinel.

"But matters inside private conference rooms are not my job, not my responsibility, and absolutely should not be made public. I understand the rules, I understand how to conduct myself, and I understand the rules of the basketball world. So I have already expressed my feelings and my views on the current situation to the owners face-to-face."

"The same goes for the general manager and the coaching staff."

"For me, Edens's statement was a slap. But he is my owner, so I just have to move forward."

Nicole revealed that the Bucks arranged for an employee to listen in on Giannis's conversation with the Sentinel.Giannis also admitted that his contract gives him some leverage this summer. He said he still communicates with General Manager Jon Horst, but far less frequently than before, and explicitly stated that he does not trust the team's management.

"I don't trust anyone," he said, "I feel uncomfortable communicating with anyone."

Giannis told Nicole that he has become more withdrawn this season.

"Throughout this whole year, I've tried to keep to myself, same as last summer. I've closed myself off. I don't know if it's because I dare not open up anymore, or if I simply don't want to open up at this moment."

"Everything is completely different from before."

The league is still investigating whether the Bucks violated player participation policy regarding the disagreement over Giannis's availability to play this season. The Bucks maintain that the perennial MVP candidate still has an injury in his left knee, while Giannis says he is fully capable of playing.

"You know what kind of people you are dealing with," Giannis said at that time, "so when someone tells me I can't play, I can't compete, that's another slap to my face. I don't know where our relationship will go from here."

According to Bucks reporter Nehm, Bucks head coach Doc Rivers said after losing to the Celtics that he is tired of being caught between the public disagreements between management and Giannis. Rivers stated that decisions on Giannis's availability are not made by him.

"I don't want to deal with this vague hinting nonsense anymore," Rivers said, "I've heard all the messages. I just want everyone to be on the same page, they should be, everyone should. I don't think there are bad people here—I mean every single person isn't. Everyone is good, but we have to find a way to get these good people aligned and keep the issues internal."