Giannis Antetokounmpo once shut down a trade proposal involving Khris Middleton for Jimmy Butler, ex-Bucks teammate John Henson says

As the Milwaukee Bucks have made significant changes to their roster over the years, including this offseason, many on the outside always speculate what kind of involvement two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo has in them.

One former teammate of Antetokounmpo has the inside scoop — or at least how he saw it from early in the Greek Freak's career.

"I know for a fact that also Giannis, when he was younger, they would call him about trades," ex-Bucks forward John Henson said, pulling back the curtain for fans, during an appearance July 2 on SiriusXM NBA Radio. "You want this guy or that guy? He’d be like, 'I don’t want to listen. Do your job, you do what you do and we’ll go from there.'"

Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton pose for a photo with head coach Mike Budenholzer and general manager Jon Horst during the 2018-19 season to celebrate being named to the All-Star team. Former Bucks forward John Henson said Antetokounmpo once shut down a trade request involving Middleton for Jimmy Butler.

But there was one time when he did listen and spoke up when he didn't like what he was hearing, Henson revealed.

And this one will get Bucks fans' attention.

Giannis Antetokounmpo said no to trading Khris Middleton for Jimmy Butler

"Specifically, there was a trade, talk about a long time ago, Khris Middleton for Jimmy Butler swap," Henson said. "Giannis was like, 'Nah, we’re not doing that.' So, that was the only time I ever see him stand up and say something. Something’s wrong, he will say something. But for the most part, he lets the front office do its thing."

Henson didn't say when this trade chatter took place inside the Bucks' offices but it checks out that Antetokounmpo didn't want to lose Middleton, given how close they were over the years.

Antetokounmpo and Middleton joined the Bucks together in the summer 2013 — Antetokounmpo as the team's first-round draft pick and Middleton a month later by trade with the Detroit Pistons. Together, they built the Bucks into a contender and eventual NBA champion.

Butler, 35, is now on his fifth team after being acquired by the Golden State Warriors last season after a heated public falling out over his contract with the Miami Heat, a team he helped take to the NBA Finals twice and became a rival of Antetokounmpo and the Bucks. Butler, a Marquette University alum, played for the Chicago Bulls, Minnesota Timberwolves and Philadelphia 76ers earlier in his career.

John Henson on the Bucks

Henson, 34, and Antetokounmpo, 30, were teammates from 2013 until December 2018, when the former University of North Carolina star was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Henson, a first-round pick by the Bucks in 2012, played six-plus seasons for the Bucks and experienced some franchise lows as well as the rise of Antetokounmpo.

His best season came in his second year when he played 70 games, including 23 starts, and averaged career highs in minutes (26.5), points (11.1), rebounds (7.1), assists (1.6), steals (0.6).

He played in and started in a career-high number of games in 2017-18, a season in which the Bucks finished seventh in the Eastern Conference with a 44-38 record and took the second-seeded Boston Celtics to seven games in a first-round playoff series loss.

Henson, who's retired from basketball, said he feels the Bucks still have to add pieces for the upcoming season but that "they'll be in the mix."

The Bucks made a series of transactions over the last few days to bolster their roster around Antetokounmpo as he chases a second championship.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Giannis Antetokounmpo once shut down a trade proposal involving Khris Middleton for Jimmy Butler, ex-Bucks teammate John Henson says