Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks are off to a 1-5 start and currently sit in last place in the Eastern Conference standings just four years after they won the NBA championship.

Their futile start has led to increasing speculation that Giannis — the two-time NBA MVP and eight-time All-Star — might ask to be traded if things continue to go South.

“Teams are circling — and hopeful,” one Western Conference team executive told CBSSports.com.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if it happened by the trade deadline,” a “top executive of a team that could be in the mix” told CBS.

Still, another Western Conference executive told NJ Advance Media he doesn’t think Giannis will be traded this season — if at all.

“No,” the executive said. “Not till this summer at the earliest.” That executive listed Miami, Brooklyn, Houston and the L.A. Clippers as teams he’s heard linked to Giannis.

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Another Western Conference league source told NJ Advance Media of Giannis: “The only places I can see him going are Miami or [the] LA [Clippers].”

As for the Knicks, NBA insider Marc Stein reported that “more than one rival team” has “wondered aloud” whether they traded for New Jersey native Karl-Anthony Towns in en effort to ultimately use him in a deal for Giannis.

But ESPN’s Bobby Marks told NJ Advance Media that the Knicks could not trade Towns ”straight up because Milwaukee would be taking back more money.” The Bucks are reportedly in the dreaded second apron, which, among other things, prohibits teams from taking back more salary in a trade than they send out.

Marks suggested “Brooklyn would have a stronger chance with draft picks.”

But the Western Conference source said he didn’t think the Knicks or Nets were likely, pointing out that the Knicks would be without a center if they somehow traded Towns.

“Who’s the 5 man?” he asked.

That source also pointed out that after losing Jrue Holiday to the rival Boston Celtics, it was unlikely the Bucks would facilitate a trade of a two-time MVP to the Knicks.

As for Brooklyn, they are loaded with draft picks and are in the hunt for projected No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg, but the Western Conference source said: “Giannis also wants to win. Brooklyn won’t be doing any winning for the next 3 years.”

The source added that Brooklyn has already tried — and failed — with a parade of superstars, including Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving James Harden and Ben Simmons, and before them Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett.

“Brooklyn is done getting stars,” the source said. “They’ve had all of them already. They will take 2-3 years to build.”

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Adam Zagoria is a freelance reporter who covers Seton Hall and NJ college basketball for NJ Advance Media. You may follow him on Twitter @AdamZagoria and check out his Website at ZAGSBLOG.com.