After Jake Fischer reported that the Atlanta Hawks will not use the 2026 NOP/MIL swap in a potential Giannis Antetokounmpo trade, it is clear that the Hawks see themselves as outsiders for a trade and are not making a serious effort to acquire the two-time MVP.
Antetokounmpo is ostensibly available for trade after a series of headlines broke last week, but little formal progress was made, according to insiders. Teams are still waiting for the Bucks to fully accept that they have lost their franchise player before making official offers.
While formal trade talks have not yet begun, the Hawks’ reluctance to package their best asset (aside from Jalen Johnson) shows they are not desperate for this trade and probably will not tender the best offer.
Hope is not lost, however, as Antetokounmpo is only guaranteed to be under contract until the end of the 2026-2027 season. Because a team could lose Giannis less than 18 months after trading for him, any potential suitor will be selected by Giannis, not the Bucks (similar to how Kevin Durant forced his way to a state without income tax this offseason by refusing to enter extension negotiations with any team not located in Texas or Florida).
The Hawks are hoping that Giannis chooses them as his next home
Not sending the 2026 pick is a bold risk that could either make or destroy Onsi Saleh’s career, depending on how the lottery unfolds. Having control of Darryn Petersen, Cam Boozer, or Caleb Wilson for the entirety of their career could be much more valuable than having Giannis from age 31 and on.
But trading for Giannis is clearly the safer option. Players of his caliber – multiple-time MVPs who are still clearly playing at a top-five level – never become available for trade. For maybe the first time in Atlanta Hawks history, one of these players is available and Atlanta is a front-runner to land him. For a team that has never won the Eastern Conference Championship, you have to consider emptying the war chest for the easy opportunity to redefine what success means to Hawks fans.
At the end of the day, however, it is a symptom of a losing mindset to let past failures influence the moves you make in the future. If the Hawks cannot make a trade without including the 2026 pick, perhaps a Giannis trade was never meant to be. But not even Giannis Antetokounmpo is worth trading a pick dubbed “one of the greatest draft picks ever traded.”