Giannis Antetokounmpo Trade Deadline Drama for Bucks

Merlin sees the league swirling. After Giannis Antetokounmpo suffered a right calf strain and said he expects to be out until late February or early March, executives now view a trade before the Feb. 5 deadline or at draft time as "unexpectedly possible," Jake Fischer reports. The Bucks sit 18-26 and are 3-11 without him, and Milwaukee’s limited draft capital has made difference-making deadline deals hard to build. Merlin hears the friction in the air. As Shams Charania put it, "The frustration that Giannis Antetokounmpo has is at an all-time high." Injuries, waning patience and prior talks with teams like the Knicks make a move plausible, but the market looks more suited to a careful draft-day orchestration than a panic swap.