"Giannis Antetokounmpo is just scared": Former NBA champion drops blunt assessment on Bucks superstar amid reported trade desire

Giannis Antetokounmpo has the NBA trade market buzzing again after Tuesday's report from NBA insider Shams Charania. As Antetokounmpo considered his options in August, he reportedly chose the Knicks as the only team he would prefer to play for outside Milwaukee.

However, the trade talks didn't materialize due to New York not presenting strong offers for the two-time MVP and former Defensive Player of the Year.

Shams Charania

@ShamsCharania

New York emerged as the only team Giannis Antetokounmpo desired outside of Milwaukee in the offseason, sources told ESPN, and the Knicks and Bucks engaged in talks for a window of time.

The trade rumors aren't over yet. Charania added to his report later in the day, claiming that Antetokounmpo and his agent are reviewing trade deadline options and shortlisting teams who can realistically trade for the superstar forward.

Fullcourtpass

@Fullcourtpass

Giannis Antetokounmpo and his agent have been reviewing which teams could realistically acquire him at the deadline, per @ShamsCharania

Amid the murky situation in Milwaukee, former NBA champion Kendrick Perkins has called out Giannis Antetokounmpo. He bluntly assessed Antetokounmpo's stance on it, suggesting the All-Star is "scared" to ask for a trade.

"Giannis Antetokounmpo is just scared," Perkins said on Tuesday's ESPN NBA Today Show. "He knows he don't wanna be in Milwaukee. He's just afraid to say it."

Perkins also criticized the Bucks, saying:

"On the other side of it, I feel like the Bucks, they know it, they're just in denial."

Fullcourtpass

@Fullcourtpass

Kendrick Perkins says Giannis is “scared” to request a trade from the Bucks 😳 “He knows he don't wanna be in Milwaukee. He's just afraid to say it. On the other side of it, I feel like the Bucks they know it, they're just in denial"

In the continued segment, Perkins claimed he was "100% sure" that Antetokounmpo wasn't ending the next season in a Bucks jersey.

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Giannis Antetokounmpo could reportedly pause the market for the foreseeable future

Giannis Antetokounmpo will be the biggest trade candidate available on the open market in recent memory. Luka Doncic would have owned that title if not for the Mavericks and Lakers negotiating that deal behind closed doors. Antetokounmpo's reported availability being discussed by his agents could pause the market.

According to Shams Charania, teams will likely preserve their assets should Antetokounmpo feel enticed to join them so that they can make a realistic trade offer.

"[Giannis Antetokounmpo] is gonna have a grip on this league to an extent now," Charania said on Tuesday's NBA Today show.

"There are teams that are gonna continue to monitor it and they're gonna assure that they don't exhaust themselves."

The Knicks, for that matter, exhausted their assets in win-now moves for Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges in the same window last offseason. They have elite role players and All-Star level talent, but no picks or young prospects that the Bucks would prefer for Antetokounmpo.

The Spurs, Hawks, Thunder and Magic are teams that boast a combination of all three: young talent, All-Star-caliber players and picks to complete a trade. However, the trade interest should be mutual as Antetokounmpo won't be an affordable trade target, giving these teams a lot to think about.