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MN Timberwolves Seriously Pursuing Disgruntled Superstar
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- MN Timberwolves Seriously Pursuing Disgruntled Superstar
Benny Sieu-Imagn Images
When Thursday afternoon rolls around, we will be exactly one week until the February 5 NBA Trade Deadline, meaning Minnesota Timberwolves president of basketball operations, Tim Connelly, better get to work.
Recently, rumblings around the Wolves' trade deadline plans for the have shifted from point guard to bench scoring wing, mostly due to their trade/financial restrictions, up against the second apron of the NBA luxury tax.
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NBA on Giannis Antetokounmpo trade alert
Then Wednesday, Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo officially brought his trade demands — which had been bubbling not-so-quietly below the surface for months — to the public light.
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Late this morning, ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania , who reported that the 31-year-old 2x NBA MVP will indeed be traded out of Milwaukee, if not before the upcoming trade deadline, then at some point during the 2026 offseason.
The Bucks' asking price per Shams: "a blue-chip young talent and/or a surplus of draft picks"
Multiple teams have received a sense that the Bucks are more open than ever to Antetokounmpo offers between now and the deadline, league sources said. However, Milwaukee has indicated to interested teams that the organization is not in a rush to complete a move and is willing to navigate Antetokounmpo's future in the offseason if its believed price point of a blue-chip young talent and/or a surplus of draft picks isn't met, sources said. By waiting until the summer, the Bucks could also see which teams are able to offer more appealing draft picks in June.
Antetokounmpo is a 13-year NBA veteran who has 9 All-Star games, 9 All-NBA Teams, 5 All-NBA defense teams, 1 Defensive Player of the Year and 1 NBA Championship to go with his 2 NBA MVP trophies.
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Giannis has only played 30 games this season , and while he has struggled for years now with a right calf strain, he is actually averaging above his career average in points (28), rebounds (10) and assists (5.6) per game, when on the floor.
For context , Anthony Edwards is averaging 29.8 points per game right now for the MN Timberwolves. Rudy Gobert leads the team with 11.3 rebounds per game, and Julius Randle heads the pack in assists, with 5.4 per game.
Minnesota Timberwolves a "serious suitor" for Giannis
But Shams took his report a step further by listing the four teams that are currently "serious suitors" for Giannis — the Miami Heat , New York Knicks , Golden State Warriors and Minnesota Timberwolves — who he listed second, behind Miami (if that matters).
The Miami Heat , Minnesota Timberwolves , New York Knicks and Golden State Warriors are among the serious suitors for Antetokounmpo, league sources said.
Making this report by Shams even more interesting, is the less-circulated news from Wednesday that also connected the Minnesota Timberwolves to Giannis Antetokounmpo.
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This week, another trusted NBA insider Henry Abbott (TrueHoop) had a source tell him that the Wolves were one of three teams on Giannis' shortlist of preferred trade destinations.
Abbott admitted that a different source disputed the list, but it's worth noting that all three — Minnesota, Miami and New York — were mentioned among Giannis' "serious suitors" in Shams' report Wednesday morning.
Giannis (may or may not) have the Timberwolves on his shortlist of preferred trade destinations, depending on which @TrueHoop source you believe…
"One person told me that Giannis preferred list is three teams — the Heat, the Wolves, and the Knicks. Now, another person told me… pic.twitter.com/nnvSZ1TYhN— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) January 28, 2026
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