On Saturday, nine-time All-NBA superstar power forward Giannis Antetokounmpo and his Milwaukee Bucks blew out the lowly Brooklyn Nets by 17 points, 116-99.
The two-time league MVP understandably led the charge for the only NBA franchise he’s ever known, scoring 29 points on 12-of-15 shooting from the floor and 4-of-8 shooting from the foul line, grabbing eight rebounds, dishing out two assists and swiping two steals in just 18:59 of action.
It was a massive moment for Milwaukee.
Why was dropping one of the worst teams in the NBA to a paltry 3-16 record on the year worth writing home about?
Because the Bucks had lost their previous seven games in a row (four without Antetokounmpo, who missed a week with a left groin strain), and were in danger of watching their 2025-26 season unravel before the calendar hit December.
Still, Milwaukee isn’t out of the woods just yet. The Bucks improved to a still-bad 9-12 on the season, making them the No. 12 seed in what should be a pretty conquerable Eastern Conference.
“At the end of the day, I want to win,” Antetokounmpo said Friday after falling to the Knicks, per Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. “We've lost seven in a row. I don't remember the last time I lost seven in a row."
The more losing skids like this we see this season, the more rumblings we’ll presumably hear that the 2021 Finals MVP is unhappy with his team and wants a trade to a contender.
So it’s perhaps understandable to hear after the fact that the Bucks - knowing this was a looming threat even ahead of the 2025-26 season, given their last three first-round playoff exits - explored adding some explosive scoring in a summer trade.
Scotto reports that the Bucks “kept tabs” on Boston Celtics combo guard Anfernee Simons after he was acquired from the Portland Trail Blazers this past summer, in a straight swap for six-time All-Defensive Team point guard Jrue Holiday.
Boston made a flurry of deals during the offseason to avoid the NBA’s punitive second luxury tax apron, but the club still remains $12 million above the league’s luxury tax threshold and $4 million above the first tax apron.
With Boston’s best player, six-time All-Star power forward Jayson Tatum, likely out for the entire year recuperating from a right Achilles tendon rupture, league sources inform Scotto that the Celtics would be open to dipping below the tax threshold this season with a trade.
Simons is on an expiring $27.7 million contract, and has been used a bit spottily by head coach Joe Mazzulla (although he’s still averaging 24.2 minutes a night), while 3-point specialist reserve combo forward Sam Hauser’s four-season, $45 million extension could appeal to rival clubs.
According to Scotto, the Celtics have thus far been uninterested in including a future first-round draft selection as part of a Simons trade.
Simons could offer some added ball handling punch for the Bucks, although guards Ryan Rollins and a newly-healthy Kevin Porter Jr. are already proving helpful in that capacity. Through 18 healthy games for Boston, Simons has been averaging 13.9 points on .438/.409/.871 shooting splits, 2.7 assists, and 2.3 rebounds per bout.
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