Three-time NBA champion Danny Green reveals Giannis Antetokounmpo’s key reason for a move to Texas

Even before the Milwaukee Bucks were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the Indiana Pacers, Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s future was already a topic of speculation. Multiple teams are interested in landing the power forward, and his personal championship aspirations could lead him to explore a new path. In that context, Danny Green spoke about Texas as a potential landing spot.

“He wants to go to a tax friendly state,” Green said on ESPN this week, revealing that Giannis’s decision isn’t based solely on basketball, but also on financial factors. “The only tax free states that I can think of is Texas, Tennessee, and Florida,” he added.

Based on that, Danny broke down the possibilities. “Florida is an option but I just don’t think Miami or Orlando has the pieces to get him,” he explained, implying that the Heat and the Magic don’t currently offer the kind of situation Antetokounmpo is looking for. “He’s not going to Memphis, I don’t know if Memphis has the pieces either.”

That narrows down the potential destinations. “Only three other teams… He’s going to stay in Texas with Dallas keeping their pick,” Green predicted. If the Mavericks do hold on to the No. 1 pick they won in the Draft Lottery and use it to select Cooper Flagg, as speculated, that would leave only two remaining options: “I think he ends up in Houston or San Antonio,” concluded the 2014 NBA champion with the Spurs.

Giannis in San Antonio?

Of the teams mentioned, perhaps the most intriguing landing spot for Antetokounmpo is the Spurs. The franchise has been in a rebuilding phase since its golden era with Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili, missing the playoffs in each of the last six seasons. But signs suggest the beginning of a new chapter.

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San Antonio now boasts a promising young roster, highlighted by the last two Rookie of the Year winners: Victor Wembanyama and Stephon Castle. This season, they also added De’Aaron Fox, who elevated the team’s level and sparked hope for a playoff run—until Wemby’s injury derailed those ambitions.

Adding a prime superstar like Antetokounmpo to this core would immediately make the Spurs serious contenders in the Western Conference. That could be a decisive factor as the two-time NBA MVP (2019, 2020) considers whether to remain in Milwaukee or move on.

The Bucks believe Giannis will stay

Despite the ongoing rumors, Milwaukee remains optimistic that Antetokounmpo will stay loyal to the franchise he has spent the past 12 seasons with. “Giannis bleeds green,” said Bucks teammate Bobby Portis Jr. on Run It Back, emphasizing that the Greek star is committed to finishing his career in Milwaukee. “I think he wants that Tim Duncan, Kobe-esque, Steph Curry-type career where they play with one franchise.”