Report: There are ‘rumblings’ that Giannis could favor L.A., New York, Miami or Chicago if traded

To this point, superstar big man Giannis Antetokounmpo has spent the entirety of his NBA career playing for one small NBA market. He’s played every one of his 12 seasons in the league with the Milwaukee Bucks organization.

However, there’s recent “rumblings” indicating that should the Bucks trade Antetokounmpo, he would prefer being traded to a bigger market. According to The Ringer’s Howard Beck, he could favor Los Angeles, New York, Miami or Chicago as potential landing spots.

“Does Giannis ask out?” Beck asked. “If he does, does he have a list? I poked around a little bit a few days ago and the initial thing I got from one person was just some rumblings that it’s already just the big cities.

“It’s one of the L.A. teams or one of the New York teams or maybe Miami, not big market but glamour market, mid-size market. I think they threw Chicago in there. I can’t remember if Houston came up — it should. So first is where does Giannis want to go and do they honor that? Because again, back to Dame (Damian Lillard), you’re not obligated to honor it.”

Of all the NBA teams that play in those cities, the Los Angeles Lakers perhaps would give Antetokounmpo the best chance to win now. After all, the Lakers already have plenty of star power sans Antetokounmpo, as forward LeBron James and guard Luka Doncic rank among the league’s elite players.

Plus, his acquisition would address a need for the Lakers, as the team’s lack of depth at the big man position since the team traded Anthony Davis came back to bite Los Angeles in the 2025 NBA Playoffs. It lost to the No. 6 seed Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round in a gentleman’s sweep.

The New York Knicks stand out as a squad that also could contend right away with Antetokounmpo in the fold. For the third year in a row, New York is in the second round of the playoffs and kicked off its series against the defending champion Boston Celtics with a road victory in Monday’s Game 1.

Conversely, the Brooklyn Nets and Chicago Bulls are two teams that play in large markets but don’t have a lot going for them as far as collective success. Both teams missed the 2025 NBA Playoffs and finished the 2024-25 regular season with records well below the .500 mark.

Antetokounmpo’s future in Milwaukee is seemingly murky now that the Bucks are on the heels of another first-round playoff exit. Milwaukee lost to the Indiana Pacers in five games despite a big series from the star big man.

With the Bucks hovering around mediocrity in recent years and the team’s future looking relatively bleak, perhaps Milwaukee will finally part ways with Antetokounmpo this summer. His name is one to watch in the coming weeks leading up to the offseason, and folks shouldn’t be surprised if he’s in plenty of trade rumors.