The centerpoint of the 2025-26 NBA season is nearing, and much like the leaves falling, the sunset creeping in earlier, and a brisk chill filling the air, another winter tradition is currently unfolding: Giannis Antetokounmpo’s loyalty to the Milwaukee Bucks is being questioned and tested by national media.
While an Eastern Conference player potentially asking out—and presumably being kept in the East—hardly amounts to news on this coast, the Portland Trail Blazers have quite a vested interest in how this drama unfolds. Lest we forget, two years ago, Damian Lillard was traded to the Bucks, and Portland received significant draft capital in return.