NBA teams were reportedly frustrated with how the Milwaukee Bucks handled the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade talks.
Although the Bucks were willing to hear offers for Antetokounmpo leading up to the deadline, NBA insider Zach Lowe said teams were frustrated after talks with the club.
“They were all along skeptical that a deal was really to be had,” Lowe said. “But there were real discussions. … No team that I heard from anyway got to the point where it was-usually you get to a trade and you get the phone call that says, ‘we will do this trade if you give us these five things. We will do it.’ It never got to that. It was always general concepts.”
Was Giannis Ever Really Leaving Milwaukee?
The Bucks may have been hearing offers from teams aggressively pursuing the Greek Freak; however, one Eastern Conference executive told ESPN’s Tim Bontemps that the outcome was always going to be Antetokounmpo remaining in Milwaukee.
“It isn’t a surprise this was one of the outcomes,” the executive said, “and this was probably a more than 50% likely outcome.”
No matter what the reports had suggested prior to the deadline,it appears that the Bucks and Antetokounmpo were going to stick together for at least the rest of the season. The 31-year-old is currently in his 13th season in the league, all with Milwaukee.
Antetokounmpo is arguably the greatest Buck of all time. While there were rumors of a possible exit, the chance of Milwaukee dealing him mid-season was not realistic.
The 10-time All-Star is excited to remain in the city he’s called home for over a decade. He shared that sentiment at the end of Thursday’s trade deadline, posting the iconic “I’m not leaving” clip from Leonardo DiCaprio’s The Wolf of Wall Street.
Antetokounmpo said, “Legends don't chase. They attract.”
The Greek Freak has been limited to 30 games this season as he’s suffered two significant calf injuries this season alone. Antetokounmpo has been out since Jan. 23 and there is no timetable for his return.
Newsweek