Not much has changed on the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade front, Marc Stein writes in his latest article for the Stein Line (subscriber link), though there are indications of which teams may or may not become players should the Bucks, who lost by 45 points to the Nets on Sunday, make him available.
Stein writes that while teams are waiting for indications from Milwaukee that they are open for business, which have yet to emerge, there have been rumors that the team will actually go the opposite way and look to reinforce the roster around their superstar forward.
Meanwhile, Stein reports that the Spurs, Rockets, and Thunder are all expected to remove themselves from any potential bidding wars for the two-time MVP.
We have more from Stein:
- Stein also writes that the Lakers‘ loss at the hands of the Victor Wembanyama-less Spurs in the NBA Cup quarterfinals helped emphasize the team’s dire need for perimeter on-ball defenders. “I think being able to contain the basketball is probably the most difficult thing for our team right now,” said coach JJ Redick. According to Stein’s sources, the Lakers are hoping to target three-and-D players at the trade deadline, but the player pool will be limited beyond Kings guard Keon Ellis. Stein also notes that Los Angeles’ preferences in any deal would be to bring in a player on a similar age timeline as Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, who are 26 and 27, respectively.
- Any major moves made by the Hawks during this trade deadline are expected to include Kristaps Porzingis‘ $30.7MM expiring deal, Stein reports. However, he notes the recent announcement that Porzingis would miss the next two weeks due to an unspecified illness, which could complicate a potential deal given the lingering illness that limited the Latvian big man during the 2025 playoffs.
- Jalen Johnson is expected to be off-limits in any trade talks for the Hawks. Johnson posted his fourth-straight triple-double on Sunday night, which Stein notes (via Twitter) ties Nikola Jokic for the longest streak this season. Johnson has been instrumental in keeping the Hawks competitive with Trae Young being limited to just five games this season due to a knee injury. The Hawks have posted a 12-9 record without Young, and Johnson has averaged 23.8 points, 11.2 rebounds, and 8.8 assists in that span.
- It’s believed to be almost a certainty that Warriors guard Pat Spencer will have his two-way contract converted to a guaranteed deal, Stein writes. Coming into Sunday night, Spencer had suited up for 18 of the 50 regular-season games he’s permitted to play in as a two-way player, and Stein adds that his position should become clearer once the Warriors get past the trade deadline. The third-year guard is posting career-highs across the board, averaging 7.7 points, 3.3 assists, and 2.6 rebounds in 16.4 minutes per game on .457/.424/.900 shooting splits.