Milwaukee Bucks head coach Doc Rivers can’t wait for the NBA trade deadline to be over, so the nonstop speculation surrounding his best player, Giannis Antetokounmpo, can finally be put to rest one way or another.
“My favorite day of the year this year will be the day after the trade deadline,” Rivers said during an appearance on ESPN's NBA Countdown. “That'll be my favorite day.”
Doc Rivers isn't expecting a Giannis Antetokounmpo trade
Rivers also offered a prediction for the day after the deadline: “I think everyone will be here,” he said. In other words, he doesn’t expect Antetokounmpo to be traded prior to Thursday afternoon.
"Giannis has said everything that we need to hear, that he wants to be a Buck,” Rivers explained. “He loves the city and that's all I can go by as a coach right now.”
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Rivers also acknowledged that the consistent trade speculation hasn't been easy for the team, Antetokounmpo included.
"Has it been difficult? Yeah," Rivers said. "Your players every day have to hear stuff. Every single day, about not just their best player but they're thrown in the mix as well."
While it may be difficult, that's the reality of life in the NBA, especially when you have a disgruntled superstar on your roster.
Rivers is right that the deadline passing while at least bring some certainty to the Bucks for the time being, but if Antetokounmpo isn't traded, that doesn't mean the situation will disappear.
The rumors and speculation will just follow the team into the offseason instead, but with the way this season has gone for the Bucks on the court, who knows if Rivers will even be around then.
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