NBA Trade Rumors: Giannis Antetokounmpo trade watch is back on across the league

NBA Trade Rumors: Giannis Antetokounmpo could be at the center of another trade season of speculation.

Before the Milwaukee Bucks broke through and won an NBA Championship in 2021, much of the narrative around Giannis Antetokounmpo revolved around when he would eventually demand a trade away from the franchise. Winning it all a few years ago all but quieted the noise on that front. However, with the struggles the Bucks have experienced over the last couple of seasons, it does seem as if some of that could be coming back.

In fact, according to a recent report, there's already growing speculation across the league that Giannis could force his way out of Milwaukee within the next year if things continue to go south with the Bucks. Again, this is all speculation that we've heard before but there could be some truth this time around considering how difficult of a situation the Bucks may find themselves in as a franchise both on and off the court.

And getting off to a 1-3 start to this season has done little to quiet the growing noise about this possibility.

The Milwaukee Bucks and their recent struggles

When speaking to the Bucks' recent struggles, it all began way before this season. Since winning the NBA Championship in 2021, the Bucks have struggled massively. In the season after winning the title, the Bucks would lose in the second round of the playoffs at the hands of the Boston Celtics. The next year, they would lose to the Miami Heat in the first round.

After that season, the Bucks' front office made the bold move of trading for Damian Lillard. In hopes of retooling the supporting cast around Giannis, the hope was that this would be a move that could help the team reemerge as a championship contender in the Eastern Conference. However, that didn't exactly work out as perhaps the Bucks hoped it would.

Struggling in the regular season to find cohesiveness, which included firing a head coach in the middle of the season, the Bucks' season would end in disappointment again. Milwaukee would go on to lose in the first round of the playoffs, this time against the Indiana Pacers.

So far, it doesn't appear as if much has changed for the Bucks this season. If there's been any point where it's become clear that it may be time for a change, it's now. Even more so considering the Bucks don't have many tradable assets on their roster.

If the Bucks are going to get better, it's likely going to have to come with a pretty big rebuilding of the roster. And if a rebuilding of the roster is going to happen, I'm not sure where that would leave Giannis. He's about to turn 30 years old and he may only have 3-4 more years of prime left in his career. I'm not sure he's ready for a rebuild in Milwaukee.

Who knows what Giannis is actually thinking or how much truth is involved in this speculative reporting? However, it would make sense if Giannis is thinking about life after Milwaukee.