Giannis Antetokounmpo and His Next Stop and What the Odds Are Saying
Foreverbet Team
Dec 8, 2025
Giannis Antetokounmpo is out for roughly two to four weeks with a calf strain, but the real drama is happening off the floor. Milwaukee are stuck near the bottom of the East, short on future picks and carrying dead Damian Lillard money.
CBS Sports put it bluntly, saying Milwaukee is “not a team capable of genuine championship in the near future,” with the Bucks sitting at 9 wins and 13 losses.
That is why Foreverbet already has a “Giannis Antetokounmpo Next Team” market up, and it tells you exactly how bookmakers think this is going to play out.
Bucks Still Short Favorites
Right now “Milwaukee Bucks or retires” is favourite at 2.50.
That price bakes in the chance that Giannis does what he has done before: push the front office, get upgrades, then ultimately stay. It also reflects how cautious teams have become about paying massive prices for stars heading into their mid-30's.
The front offices are “not give up four first round picks for anybody” in the new apron era, according to Brian Windhorst of ESPN. If rival teams stay disciplined, the cleanest outcome is still Milwaukee finding a way to calm things down and hang on.
Knicks Firm Second Choice
The New York Knicks are next at 3.40, and that number speaks to leverage more than assets.
When it comes to Antetokounmpo and the Knicks “the heart wants what it wants,” according to Sam Quinn of CBS Sports.
New York cannot match the draft capital of San Antonio or Houston, but if Giannis again makes it clear he wants the Garden, other bidders have to factor in the risk of a one-year rental. That threat is exactly why their price is shorter than any pure “basketball fit” would suggest.
The “Any Other Team” Bucket
Foreverbet lists “Any other team” at 5.00, sitting between the Knicks and the true asset monsters. That band covers everyone from Detroit and Houston to surprise rentals like Toronto or Indiana.
Executives he has spoken to keep coming back to Atlanta, San Antonio and Houston as the three teams that can realistically out-bid New York if they choose.
Spurs, Heat and the New Power Brokers
San Antonio are third favourite individually at 7.00. On paper it is easy to see why. Victor Wembanyama plus Giannis would instantly be the most terrifying rim-protecting duo in the league, and the Spurs still have a mountain of picks and swaps to spend.
Miami sit at 8.00. Antetokounmpo shares an agent with Bam Adebayo and the Heat already have a track record of swinging for disgruntled stars. Their draft situation is messy, but Kel’El Ware, Tyler Herro and multiple future swaps can keep them on any serious list.
Houston are out at 14.00, but they might actually have the strongest all-round package: young talent, extra picks and a team that already looks like a contender. The question is timing. Do you cash everything in now, or ride a long window with Alperen Sengun and Reed Sheppard?
The Classic Giants and the Long Shots
The Los Angeles Lakers at 17.00 and Golden State Warriors at 18.00 sit firmly in the “never rule them out” tier.
The Lakers have limited picks but the ever-present lure of Los Angeles and future cap space. Golden State can dangle post-Stephen Curry draft upside and a massive market. Both need help from Giannis himself if they are going to beat cleaner offers elsewhere.
Then there are the deeper odds: Atlanta at 22.00 and Oklahoma City at 25.00. The Hawks control that juicy New Orleans pick and could headline a deal with Trae Young and Zaccharie Risacher. The Thunder have the assets to blow everyone away, but at 21 wins and 1 loss there is zero pressure to touch the roster.
For now, Foreverbet still has “Bucks or retires” as favourite, but with New York and San Antonio circling and the rest of the league doing the maths, it feels less like a question of if teams call Milwaukee and more a question of how hard Giannis is willing to push this time.
