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MILWAUKEE —Conversations between the Milwaukee Bucks and superstar big man Giannis Antetokounmpo about his future have “intensified in nature” recently, according to Shams Charania, who added in a report on “The Pat McAfee Show” Friday that the “tension” in the organization and the locker room is at “an all-time high.”

The Bucks have lost five of their last seven games to fall to 18-25 on the season, which has them in 11th place in the Eastern Conference — just outside of even the final Play-In Tournament spot. After a 20-point loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday, Antetokounmpo called out his teammates for being “selfish” and “not playing hard.”

Earlier in the week, following the Bucks’ narrow win over the Atlanta Hawks, Antetokounmpo was asked if he would finish the season with the team. “I don’t know. I take it day-by-day,” he said. Those comments came just weeks after Antetokounmpo told Sam Amick of The Athletic that he would “never” ask the Bucks to trade him.

The uptick in Antetokounmpo trade rumors combined with a string of bad losses — their last three defeats were all by at least 18 points — has created some terrible vibes in Milwaukee. Here’s more from Charania on what’s going on internally in Milwaukee ahead of the Feb. 5 trade deadline:

Antetokounmpo’s comments about his teammates after the defeat to the Thunder were an escalation, and made it clear that his frustration with the situation in Milwaukee is growing. It’s also worth noting that he only took 11 shots against the Thunder, and has taken 13 or fewer shots in five of the team’s last six games.

Antetokounmpo’s annoyance and the team’s recent skid do not guarantee that he’ll be gone by the NBA’s Feb. 5 trade deadline, however. He is under contract through 2027, and even if it’s hard to imagine him committing his long-term future to the Bucks, the team is not under pressure to trade him right now.

In fact, there have been plenty of reports in recent weeks that the Bucks are actually looking to add talent ahead of the deadline to give themselves a chance to compete in a weakened East. Whatever happens, the entire league will be waiting with bated breath.

“Giannis is the trade deadline,” Brian Windhorst said earlier this week. “There is really not a lot of other players out there that can move the needle. There is very small to no market for Ja Morant or Anthony Davis. The entire league is watching Giannis.”