Toronto Raptors' odds to land Giannis Antetokounmpo shorten amid reports
Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks reacts in the first quarter against the Indiana Pacers of Game 5 of the 2025 NBA Playoffs. PHOTO: AFP
MILWAUKEE – Giannis Antetokounmpo is favoured to stay with the Milwaukee Bucks amid increasing speculation that the two-time NBA MVP is open to being traded this off-season.
The Bucks are the odds-on favorite at -140 by DraftKings to be the team Antetokounmpo is playing for in his first minute of the 2025-26 regular season. That is well ahead of the San Antonio Spurs (+380) and Houston Rockets (+450).
The Rockets crashed out of the play-offs after posting the second-best record in the Western Conference, but have a young and talented roster poised to compete for several years.
That roster could use an experienced star in the mold of Antetokounmpo to make a deeper play-off run next season alongside the likes of Amen Thompson, Antetokounmpo, Tari Eason, and Dillon Brooks.
The Spurs also make for an intriguing destination to pair with young star Victor Wembanyama and De'Aaron Fox, who was acquired from Sacramento last season. San Antonio are still armed with a slew of draft picks to help facilitate a deal.
The next shortest odds belong to the Toronto Raptors, who have moved to +1000 with a report by the Toronto Star that there is 'mutual interest' should Antetokounmpo be traded. Separately, ESPN reported that the Raptors are 'looking for a big fish' in the off-season trade market.
It was originally reported in April that Antetokounmpo would be open to playing elsewhere in 2025-26.
According to the Star's report on June 1, the Raptors are deep enough at the wing position to combine with first-round picks to make a run at Antetokounmpo, who has spent his first 12 seasons with Milwaukee.
Antetokounmpo, 30, averaged 30.4 points, 11.9 rebounds and 6.5 assists in 2024-25 before Milwaukee were handed their third straight first-round playoff exit.
With highly paid All-Star guard Damian Lillard facing a lengthy rehabilitation after tearing his left Achilles tendon in the play-offs on April 27, the Bucks are not well-positioned to contend for a championship next season – which speaks to the off-season decisions that the Bucks and Antetokounmpo face.
He is under contract through the 2026-27 season and has a US$62.8 million (S$80.9 million) player option for 2027-28. He carries cap hits of US$54.1 million in 2025-26 and US$58.5 million in 2026-27.
Meanwhile in other NBA news, the Dallas Mavericks and the Los Angeles Lakers are set to clash in October.
There was a lot of criticism circling the Mavericks after they traded franchise star Luka Doncic to the Lakers in February. Expect another round of opinions about the big swap during the pre-season when the Mavericks and Lakers meet at Las Vegas on Oct 15.
The Lakers announced four pre-season games on June 2 in which they are designated as the home team, and the attention-getter is the matchup against Dallas.
The Mavericks landed Anthony Davis in the controversial deal, but Dallas fans were irate over the loss of Doncic.
The Lakers won both meetings between the teams after the trade.
Doncic had a triple-double (19 points, 15 rebounds, 12 assists) as Los Angeles beat visiting Dallas 107-99 on Feb 25. He then poured in 45 points in his first visit to Dallas as a visiting player on April 9, helping the Lakers prevail 112-97.
Davis missed the Feb 25 game before producing 13 points and 11 rebounds on April 9.
The Mavericks won the NBA draft lottery despite being big longshots, so they could have Cooper Flagg, the projected No. 1 overall pick, in action when they get to Las Vegas. The Lakers, of course, will have a roster led by veteran LeBron James.
The Lakers also announced pre-season games against the Phoenix Suns on Oct 3 in Palm Desert, California, and home contests against the Golden State Warriors on Oct 12 and the Sacramento Kings on Oct 17. REUTERS
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