Giannis Antetokounmpo being at the center of major trade rumors is no news. The media waiting for his free agency decision happens every year but the Milwaukee Bucks superstar himself douses cold water on those reports instantly.
Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks, Stephen A. Smith
Jan 31, 2019; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) smiles on the bench during a break against the Toronto Raptors at Scotiabank Arena. Milwaukee Bucks defeated Toronto. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports
Best example was in 2020 when he was one year away from becoming as free agent and just won his second season MVP award. The team failed in the second round that year in the bubble and an upset Giannis was predicted to leave the team.
He did not let the fire get too big by signing an extension in the same year but what came first before that was the Bucks trading for Jrue Holiday who eventually created their own Big 3 together with Khris Middleton and won them the 2021 title.
Khris Middleton, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jrue Holiday
Sep 27, 2021; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Khris Middleton (22) and forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) and guard Jrue Holiday (21) pose for pictures during Media Day at the Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports
Another great example is in 2023. Bucks are coming off a second failure when they painfully got booted out by the eighth seed Miami Heat in the first round and so they needed to inject a new scoring option. They got Damian Lillard.
Although it is yet to translate to a title, those two moves represent the harmony between Giannis and the front office.
Milwaukee Bucks got nothing for Giannis Antetokounmpo this time
The front office and the Greek Freak are still in the same page about their future plans.
Doc Rivers already called the trade rumors being put out as ridiculous. Antetokounmpo’s teammates are outright saying that he bleeds green.
All of this is good to hear but there’s another thing that should be of great concern for all the parties involved.
Antetokounmpo loves Milwaukee but that love should be sustained. Can they still do what they did in 2020 and 2023 when their two-time MVP was still extra patient about building a contending team?
Sam Quinn of CBS Sports said that it will be hard this time.
There’s no obvious path to a Holiday- or Lillard-esque trade this offseason. I’ve covered the reasons Milwaukee is going to have so much trouble rebuilding its roster in more depth here, but here’s the short of it: the Bucks control very little of their own future draft capital, they have very little promising young talent on their roster, they are paying max money to Lillard likely not to play for them next season and to return in a diminished fashion after that, and even the veterans that remain just aren’t very good.
Damian Lillard, Milwaukee Bucks
Feb 23, 2023; Sacramento, California, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard (0) smiles on the bench during the second quarter against the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-USA TODAY Sports
The worst part about this is that Lillard won’t be able to join them until the late part of the 2025-2026 season.
Reports have it that the Bucks will make aggressive moves to look for free agents to complement Giannis.
What fans can take from this though that when everything clicks for them, they could very much be a contender like last season when they climbed from being a 10th team to no. 3 in the standings at one point.
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