The Milwaukee Bucks have signed Thanasis Antetokounmpo to a one-year deal, most likely an attempt to lure his brother, Giannis, to stay in Milwaukee, as speculation around his future with the Bucks has been rife this summer. Giannis has been at the center of the trade discussions for quite a while now and is the biggest star in the NBA whose future is uncertain. His younger brother, Thanasis, is a great player in his own right, and the Bucks seem to have a thing for the Antetokounmpo boys.
The Bucks are doing everything possible to keep Giannis in Milwaukee
Might be hard to leave if your brother just joined your team, right? Well, that would be the hope for Milwaukee. The Bucks recently signed the younger version of Giannis to a one-year deal that brings him back to Milwaukee after several years with the team and a recent foray into Europe with his national team, Greece. This has been a successful run for young Thanasis.
The news, as always with anything basketball-related, was reported by Shams Charania. The basketball whisperer and all-around guru of the game. Charania first reported that the deal was being made, and everyone in the NBA biosphere knew what this meant: Giannis would stay in Milwaukee, at least for now.
“Thanasis Antetokounmpo is signing a guaranteed one-year, $2.9 million deal to return to the Milwaukee Bucks, sources tell ESPN. Antetokounmpo played for the Bucks from 2019–24. This also means after a summer of exploring options, Giannis is staying in Milwaukee to start the season,” – Shams Charania
Giannis has been at the center of trade discussions around the NBA
Following the Bucks’ less-than-ideal performances in the past few years, reports were that Giannis was exploring a future outside Milwaukee. And we can not blame him for thinking about his future. The Milwaukee Bucks have spent the past few years experimenting with potential roster changes and trading for several stars in order to keep Giannis content.
They brought in Jrue Holiday, which failed. They brought in Damian Lillard, which failed. That last one stung a bit for Bucks fans as well as Giannis, as Lillard was seen as a potential championship-winning player to pair up with Giannis. However, after suffering a serious Achilles injury that will keep him sidelined for the upcoming season at the very least, the Bucks chose to waive Lillard and his contract. He subsequently signed for the Trailblazers while he recovers.
Since the Bucks dropped out of the NBA Playoffs early once again in 2025, everybody wondered what’s next for Giannis Antetokounmpo. When the Bucks waived Damian Lillard after just his second season in Milwaukee, reports surfaced claiming that Antetokounmpo was frustrated with the decision. Those rumors added more fuel to the fire,” – SI’s Justin Grasso
The deal to bring his younger brother back to Milwaukee is no guarantee that Giannis will stay in Milwaukee, but the reports are that he will start the season with the Bucks and see how things progress. But having your baby brother on your team couldn’t hurt.
Can the Milwaukee Bucks make a deep playoff run this season
The whole point in this never-ending saga is to keep Giannis in Milwaukee. If he does decide to leave, the Bucks will be without a superstar player on their roster, a prerequisite for a championship run in the NBA. Most teams have at least two superstars in their lineup; some, like the Oklahoma City Thunder, have three or even four. With the offseason allowing several NBA stars, including Thanasis Antetokounmpo, to play for their national sides, the new NBA season is fast approaching, and the Bucks will be hoping the Antetokounmpo brothers can deliver them to the promised land of an NBA Championship.
