Cbssports urges Bucks to trade Giannis after calf strain sidelines him weeks

Cbssports argues the Milwaukee Bucks should trade Giannis Antetokounmpo after he suffered a calf strain that is expected to keep him out four to six weeks.

The piece criticizes recent front-office moves — including waiving and stretching Damian Lillard to sign Myles Turner — and says the team missed chances to pursue trades when Antetokounmpo's camp reportedly signaled interest in the New York Knicks. It notes Milwaukee is 18-26 and not a top-10 team in the Eastern Conference.

The article says there is no reason for Antetokounmpo to return this season: the Bucks are 3-11 without him and already trail the 10th-place Atlanta Hawks by four games, so by the time he would be healthy a Play-In berth may be infeasible. Sitting him out, the piece argues, would preserve value and make more sense than forcing a return.

On the future, the report points to the team's draft assets: the Bucks do not control their first-round pick again until 2031 but hold a promising 2026 pick, while owing a swap to the Pelicans (a swap the Pelicans traded to the Hawks for Derik Queen). With the Pelicans holding the second-worst record and the Bucks the eighth-worst, the article says the 2026 pick will likely stay with Milwaukee and, together with tradable unprotected picks in 2031 and 2033, could form the basis for a rebuild — concluding this season is effectively over and the club should prepare for life after Antetokounmpo.

Key Topics

Sports, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks, Damian Lillard, Myles Turner, New York Knicks