Interestingly, Windhorst claims that the Bucks Antetokounmpo may be the first trade in the offseason

In the 2025 NBA offseason, the first fallen domino is likely to be Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo.

This offseason may be full of variables, and the first fallen domino is likely to be Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo.

The Bucks were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs for three consecutive times, and Damian Lillard suffered an Achilles tendon injury in the playoffs, and the Bucks' future is full of uncertainty. And Antetokounmpo seems to be aware of this, and he is reportedly considering asking for a trade to leave the Milwaukee Bucks.

Antetokounmpo was awarded the NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) twice and has played for the Bucks since being selected by the Bucks in 2013. It is not clear whether he will leave the Milwaukee Bucks. But anyway, ESPN NBA insider Brian Windhorst believes Antetokounmpo will be part of the NBA's first major offseason development.

"It's basically done through the trading market," Windhorst said on Get Up today. First of all, it’s Giannis, whether he leaves Milwaukee or not, it’s a big deal. I really think Kevin Durant has to wait for Giannis because there will be some teams interested in both of them and then Durant. Of course, who will you say next? Well, I just want to say: two years ago, I thought the biggest and most influential deal was Ju Holiday going to Boston. We didn't know this would happen until Lillard was traded to Milwaukee.

"So I think you'll see a lot of teams either actively upgrade the roster or take the initiative to cut salaries. The deal between Giannis and Durant could trigger a series of chain reactions with a wide range of impact."

Antetokounmpo spent his entire career with the Bucks and led the team to win the first NBA championship in 50 years in 2021. But since then, the Milwaukee Bucks have never reached the Eastern Conference Finals again; in 2022, the Bucks lost to the Boston Celtics in the second round; and in the past three years, they have lost to the Heat and Pacers in the first round twice.

Injuries are the main reason for the Bucks' playoff defeat - Chris Middleton missed the entire series against the Celtics in 2022, Antetokounmpo was affected by injuries in the next two playoff games, and Lillard missed the first game of the first round of the series this year, and then torn the Achilles tendon in Game 4 - but Lillard's injury will last at least until next season, and maybe even into next season, which could wipe out the Bucks' dream of winning the championship.

If Antetokounmpo really takes the initiative to leave the team, if Milwaukee approves this request, multiple teams are expected to be interested in him; it is reported that the Houston Rockets, San Antonio Spurs and Brooklyn Nets are all popular teams in Antetokounmpo, which will definitely become a big deal this summer.