Bucks keep Giannis through deadline

Giannis Antetokounmpo is staying put.

The Milwaukee Bucks informed interested teams that they will keep the two-time MVP through Thursday's 3 p.m. trade deadline.

By waiting until the offseason, the Bucks could improve incoming offers for Antetokounmpo, who will be eligible for a contract extension in October. If he's traded in the summer, though, Antetokounmpo would have to wait six months before he can sign an extension with his new team, according to ESPN's Bobby Marks.

Multiple teams were apparently vying to convince the Bucks to trade the Greek superstar, including the Minnesota Timberwolves, Golden State Warriors, Miami Heat, and New York Knicks.

However, the Warriors and Timberwolves appeared to take themselves out of the running in the last two days. Golden State sent Buddy Hield and Jonathan Kuminga to the Atlanta Hawks for Kristaps Porzingis on Wednesday, while Minnesota dealt Rob Dillingham, Leonard Miller, and four second-round picks to land Ayo Dosunmu and Julian Phillips from the Chicago Bulls earlier Thursday.

Antetokounmpo, 31, remains sidelined after sustaining his second calf strain this season. He said Jan. 24 that he expected to be out for four-to-six weeks, but the team said days later that he had no official recovery timetable.

The 10-time All-Star will earn a guaranteed $58.5 million next season. If he doesn't sign an extension, he could elect to become a free agent in 2027 by not exercising a $62.3-million player option for 2027-28.