Giannis Antetokounmpo flexed his power to stop blockbuster Jimmy Butler trade, claims his ex-teammate 

Giannis Antetokounmpo has proven that he’s not like the average NBA superstar. Instead of leaving for a bigger market, he doubled down on his commitment to the Milwaukee Bucks, stayed with the team that drafted him, and even made his way to an NBA championship.

Antetokounmpo did what without the drama, the trade requests, and the demands for help that usually come with a player of his caliber. In fact, former Bucks big man John Henson revealed that he didn’t even want anything to do with trades or roster-building, and he fully trusted the front office to get things right:

“I know for a fact that Giannis, when he was younger, they would call him about trades and ask him, ‘Do you want this guy or that guy?’ and he was like ‘I don’t wanna listen, do your job,'” Henson said on SiriusXM NBA Radio on Wednesday.

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There was one exception, though, and it happened when the team floated the idea of moving on from Khris Middleton to get Jimmy Butler:

"There was a trade…Khris Middleton for Jimmy Butler swap – Giannis was like ‘nah we’re not doing that’ – that was only time I ever saw him stand up and say something,” Henson revealed.

Henson played in Milwaukee in an eight-year period in which Butler was traded twice before signing with the Miami Heat as a free agent, so it's unclear when that happened.

It's also worth noting that it may not have had anything to do with Butler as a player or a person, as Giannis Antetokounmpo had a close relationship with Middleton before he was traded in February 2025.

The Bucks could lose Giannis Antetokounmpo

Fast forward to today, and the Greek superstar might not feel the same way about the front office. Given their recent string of moves, Giannis Antetokounmpo could be the next superstar to force his way out of a team. He's the last man standing from their championship-winning core, as not even coach Mike Budenholzer is there anymore.

And now that the team will have to deal with Damian Lillard's cap hit for the next four years, their chances of fielding a competitive roster have taken a big hit.

For the first time in his career, Giannis was reportedly thinking about his future with the organization, and while he's still under contract, things could get quite interesting in Wisconsin if he doesn't trust the front office's vision anymore.

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About the author

Ernesto Cova

Ernesto Cova is a journalist at Sportskeeda with a PhD in Sports Psychology. His education helped him develop a clearer understanding of the sports world as a whole, including basketball. Ernesto has over eight years of experience in the field, working for Fadeaway World, The Inquisitr, NBA Blast, The Cold Wire and Bolavip, among others.

His favorite team is the Chicago Bulls because of the Michael Jordan era. Jordan is Ernesto's all-time favorite, as he changed the game forever. Ernesto's second favorite was Kobe Bryant because he embodied that same competitive fire and Ernesto watched him play throughout his entire career. Nowadays, Ernesto really likes Stephen Curry, who he believes to be the most influential player of the past 15 years or so.

Ernesto's favorite basketball moment was when Venezuela -- his country -- took down Canada to take home the 2015 FIBA Americas Cup.

When not watching or writing about basketball, Ernesto likes to read and is interested in photography.

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