The Milwaukee Bucks have had an offseason full of uncertainty regarding superstar forward Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Although the Greek Freak appears to be starting the 2025-26 season with the only team he has ever known, ESPN’s Kendrick Perkins unleashed quite a prediction that he believes will occur for Giannis by season’s end.
“We will not see Giannis Antetokounmpo in a Bucks uniform at the end of this season,” Perkins said.
As the rumor-filled offseason comes to an end, there has been at least one report that would certainly give Perkins’ bold prediction some more substance. Earlier this month, fellow ESPN insider Shams Charania reported that despite several teams expressing interest the New York Knicks were the only team that Antetokounmpo would have played for outside of Milwaukee.
“This offseason marked the first time that Antetokounmpo truly initiated the pursuit of his best external options, and he had discussions with the Bucks that ultimately led to the conversations between the franchise and the Knicks,” Charania wrote.
The nine-time All-NBA superstar remains in his absolute athletic prime even at age 30, and is still capable of powering even a lackluster roster to a 50-ish win season all by himself. Imagine what he could do alongside Jalen Brunson.
Should the Bucks Even Make a Deal in the Wide-Open East?
With the regular season looming, there is nothing stopping the Bucks from following through with a deal that would be more conducive to their franchise ahead of February’s trade deadline, but the Eastern Conference has never looked more wide open.
Superstar Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics will be out for the foreseeable future as he recovers from an Achilles tear, and last year’s winners of the East, the Indiana Pacers, will be without Tyrese Haliburton as he works to return from a torn Achilles tendon of his own.
Anything can happen this season for Milwaukee, but general manager Jon Horst (the 2019 NBA Executive of the Year) will do whatever it takes to position his team to win both now and for years to come.
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