Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bucks: Rivers Denies Trade Talk

Doc Rivers pushed back on the latest trade chatter, insisting Giannis “has never asked to be traded. Ever.” That rebuttal arrives amid renewed reports — Shams Charania and Brian Windhorst among them — that Giannis and his agent "have started conversations" about whether he belongs in Milwaukee. Giannis scrubbed Bucks references from social media while averaging 30.6/10.7/6.4, but the team sits 9-13 and has lost eight of its last nine games, so the noise matters. Merlin sees a franchise at a crossroads: a 2021 champion with no series wins since 2022 and a superstar growing impatient. This is less a sudden betrayal than a slow boil — public calm now, private pressure behind closed doors. If the Bucks don’t show clear direction soon, whispers could become demands.