Recently, trade rumors have been swirling around the Milwaukee Bucks, with fans wondering if the time has finally come to trade Giannis Antetokounmpo. Antetokounmpo is currently out of the lineup due to injury, and the Bucks seem to have little to no hope of competing for a playoff spot this season.
However, recently, Antetokounmpo was asked if he would be willing to stay on board if the team could find a way to compete consistently, and his answer may give some optimism to Bucks fans.
“You’re saying that if they can convince me to stay within the team, and the next year that we can compete? Oh yeah, 1,000 percent,” Antetokounmpo said, per Eric Nehm of The Athletic. “One million percent.”
Antetokounmpo also spoke on the reality of Milwaukee's current situation as they flounder in the standings.
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“I want to be here, but I want to be here to win, not fighting for my life to make the playoffs,” Antetokounmpo said. “I’m not used to inconsistent basketball. I’ve played so many years of consistent basketball, I am not used to it anymore. During the game, I don’t know if you can see my face, (but) I get frustrated during the game, while the game is going on.”
Indeed, the Bucks have been a trainwreck this year, and are currently on the outside looking in of the Eastern Conference playoff picture. While Antetokounmpo is currently injured, the team has been mediocre at best even when he's on the floor, and everyone outside of Milwaukee seems to have seen the writing on the wall for quite some time now.
At this point, it's unclear how exactly the Bucks could possibly find a way to win consistently moving forward, but if they commit to losing for the rest of this year, they could wind up with a valuable draft pick in June.
In any case, the trade deadline is set for Thursday.