Latest on Timberwolves’ Pursuit of Giannis Antetokounmpo

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Minnesota Timberwolves trade rumors - Giannis Antetokounmpo : Milwaukee Bucks
Credit: Michael McLoone-Imagn Images

Is Giannis Antetokounmpo going to become a member of the Minnesota Timberwolves before 2 p.m. CST on Thursday?

That’s what Tim Connelly sure is hoping, especially after the Wolves’ president of basketball operations passed on multiple opportunities to improve the Wolves’ backcourt as trades started flying around the league Tuesday, in favor of his desperate pursuit of Giannis.

But can Minnesota beat out the other offers on the table in Milwaukee for the Greek Freak and will the Bucks even move him before the NBA trade deadline… or at all?

Minnesota Timberwolves trade rumors - Giannis Antetokounmpo : Chicago Bulls at Milwaukee Bucks
Credit: Michael McLoone-Imagn Images

When the Wolves traded Mike Conley on Tuesday afternoon, it dropped them under the first apron of the NBA luxury tax, allowing for more flexibility to pull of a deal for Antetokounmpo.

Tuesday Afternoon Update (3:50 p.m. CST):

You can find this morning’s update’s below. But Tuesday afternoon, more news and rumors have come across the wire that made this article due for an update.

More trades have gone through, including Coby White and Mike Conley being moved to Charlotte in a trade that makes his coming back to Minnesota more likely. When it comes to Giannis, everyone is still waiting. But the field is reportedly narrowing.

Timberwolves still trying… but time is running out

According to Brett Siegel (Clutch Points), the belief around the league right now is that the Milwaukee Bucks will hang onto Giannis beyond the trade deadline, but that the Wolves are still trying to talk them out of it.

Siegel reports that the Miami Heat are now looking at other options, after the Bucks told them that they are out on the Antetokounmpo sweepstakes. Pretty much, it’s Minnesota or bust, at this point.

“As of right now, with less than 24 hours until the trade deadline, the Minnesota Timberwolves are continuing to work the phones, to see if there is an angle for them to get assets…but the Bucks are still yet to signal that they would in fact trade Giannis Antetokounmpo and team executives around the league and team sources just doubt that Giannis is going to be on the move before the trade deadline.

We’ve also been told that the Miami Heat are focusing on other avenues, at this point. They’ve been told by the Bucks angle that they are not in the sweepstakes for Giannis and I’ve heard the Bucks do not have any interest in taking back Tyler Herro…so the Bucks are still talking to the Timberwolves.

That seems to be the only angle, at this point. The Warriors package is there but barring a last-minute change, I do not see that happening…All indications right now are that Giannis will remain with the Bucks past the trade deadline…”

Brett Siegel – Clutch Points

So Siegel doesn’t see a deal getting done right now, and you can throw Brian Windhorst (ESPN) in that same camp.

ESPN: MN Timberwolves have 8 hours to reel in Giannis

On NBA Today Wednesday, it’s clear one of the NBA’s top insiders is losing faith in a pre-deadline Giannis deal coming to fruition. Windy also notes, however, that the Wolves have yet to fully put their offer in front of the Bucks.

Meanwhile, Brian’s colleague, Bobby Marks (ESPN), isn’t giving up hope just yet, but says that, if a deal is going to get done, it needs to happen in the next eight hours. In his eyes, once the clock strikes midnight ET — if Antetokounmpo to Minnesota isn’t done — this deal is cooked.

Marks: “We’re going to know if there’s a Giannis deal in the next 8 hours…. There’s a lot of moving parts here and I think there’s going to have to be a framework of a Giannis type trade by midnight.”

Windhorst: “Minnesota offer they have to put it together. Miami has an offer they could take. I think GSW offer is better because of the unprotected picks post Steph but the Miami offer which has young players and couple of draft picks in It, they could take that offer. Especially if Giannis wants to do it.”

Tuesday Morning Update (9:15 a.m. CST):

At this point, we believe the Wolves have Jaden McDaniels on the table. When you read the column just posted this morning at Sports Illustrated, you understand why.

MN Timberwolves targeting Giannis for long-term extension

According to Chris Mannix (SI), Minnesota is targeting Giannis as their long-term superstar partner, for Anthony Edwards.

As the hours tick toward the NBA trade deadline, Minnesota’s aggressive pursuit of Giannis Antetokounmpo has drawn attention. The Timberwolves are on Antetokounmpo’s so-called list, sources tell Sports Illustrated, with the Wolves operating under the belief that Antetokounmpo would not only welcome a deal to Minnesota—where he would be paired with 24-year-old Anthony Edwards—but be ready to sign a long-term extension.

Chris Mannix – Sports Illustrated

So if Connelly gets a deal done for the Greek Freak between now and Thursday at 2 p.m. CST, it likely means a long-term extension for Giannis Antetokounmpo in Minnesota before the start of 2026-27. And Minnesota’s PoBO has made it clear EVERYONE but Ant is on the table.

Even with McDaniels now on the table the Wolves still do not have enough to get a Giannis trade over the finish line, per Mannix. The bucks want first round picks too… and the Wolves have ZERO to offer.

That’s why Connelly is scouring the market for third and/or fourth teams to help facilitate those picks to Milwaukee, in exchange for Timberwolves players they might be interested in, over their current draft selections.

The Bucks want Jaden McDaniels, a source tells SI, with Milwaukee seeing McDaniels, 25, as a potential future All-Star. But the Bucks also want multiple first-round draft picks, sources say, and Minnesota’s war chest of them is nearly empty.

It’s why the Wolves have been canvassing the league in search of them. One source who has discussed a deal with Minnesota tells SI the Timberwolves have been clear that most of the roster—sans Edwards, of course—is up for discussion for the right draft compensation. The belief is Minnesota will have to get as many as four teams involved to make a deal work. 

Chris Mannix – Sports Illustrated

Related: Anthony Edwards Watching Wolves’ Next Move VERY Carefully

There’s another problem, however. Mannix, along with other NBA insiders following this situation closely, are reporting that rival teams are trying to convince the Bucks to delay their Giannis trade plans until the summer.

Apparently, these other teams are making future promises to the Bucks, telling the Milwaukee front office that they can offer more assets in a few months, than anything the Timberwolves (or others) are able to deal before the deadline tomorrow.

As much as Minnesota is facing competition for Antetokounmpo, it’s also fighting the headwinds coming from teams urging the Bucks not to trade him. Multiple teams have told Milwaukee that they would have offers—or in some cases better offers—after the season, when several teams would have more draft picks to deal. “Minnesota badly wants to get it done now,” says a rival exec. “They don’t want to get into a bidding war before the draft.” 

Chris Mannix – Sports Illustrated

What Giannis Antetokounmpo wants…?

We know the Milwaukee Bucks are already hesitant to deal Giannis. Some inside the organization are reportedly even holding out hope that — if some things fall their way in the lottery and during the upcoming offseason — the 2x MVP and 9x All-NBA superstar might even change his mind and finish his career as a Deer.

Yesterday, Giannis spoke with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and told them that he still wants to be a Buck for life… complicating matters even further, given the organization’s hesitancy to trade him in the first place.

Related: Real Reason Kevin Durant Spurned MN Timberwolves Revealed

Now, is all of this just the Bucks and Giannis making one final push to increase trade offers that are already on the table? If so, then all of the chatter this morning trying to hush trade discussions around the league… is a big nothing-burger.

However, if Antetokounmpo really is hinting at a desire to remain in Milwaukee, then I have to think they use his quotes from last night as the hope they needed to push these talks into the offseason.

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