One of the most memorable tenures in the history of the NBA could be coming to an end.
Roughly 13 years after arriving in Milwaukee as a lanky Greek teenager without much English, Giannis Antetokounmpo is being placed on the proverbial trade block by the Bucks, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.
Although he remains one of the NBA’s premier talents and a perennial All-Star, Antetokounmpo’s future has been clouded by the Bucks’ recent struggles, the team’s decision to replace head coach Doc Rivers with Taylor Jenkins, and his own contract situation.
Currently he’s entering the final two years of his three-year, $175 million extension. But 31-year-old NBA champion, two-time MVP and future Hall of Famer becomes eligible for a four-year, $275 million extension on October 1 if he remains in Milwaukee, or six months later if he’s traded to a new team.
Rather than continuing to pay Antetokounmpo north of $60 million annually, and building a championship-caliber roster around him, the Bucks now appear ready for a rebuild, Charania reports.
The news wasn’t a total surprise, given co-owner Jimmy Haslam’s statements while introducing Jenkins at a press conference last week.
Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, center, walks off the court on April 10
‘Sometime over the next six or seven weeks we’ll decide whether Giannis is going to sign a max contract and stay with us or he’s going to play somewhere else,’ Haslam told reporters Wednesday. ‘And [general manager] Jon [Horst] and Taylor, along with [co-owner Wes Edens] and myself, will make that call, and we understand the gravity of that call.’
Previously, Edens told ESPN that Antetokounmpo would either be ‘extended or he’ll be traded.’
There is expected to be a big market for Antetokounmpo, who should have some say where he winds up, given his looming contract situation. Teams wouldn’t be expected to trade for the Athens native without some assurance he could be signed beyond the 2027-28 season.
‘The conversation will be simple: Where does [Giannis] want to be moved, and where will he sign long term?’ one source told ESPN.
Novak Djokovic speaks with Giannis Antetokounmpo while watching a EuroLeague playoffs basketball game between Olympiacos and AS Monaco in Piraeus near Athens
But such a trade would be difficult for a fan base and player who have grown understandably fond of one another. Antetokounmpo’s brothers Thanasis and Alex have both played for Milwaukee, which has come to treat the 6ft 11in Giannis as something of a city savior.
‘My plan is to be here for the rest of my career,’ Antetokounmpo told reporters in January. ‘If they don’t want me … I’m not the one in charge. I am an employee.’
A month later, Antetokounmpo doubled down to ESPN: ‘You will never hear me say I don’t want to be a Milwaukee Buck.’
But the math for everyone appears to be changing following the Bucks’ disastrous 32-50 finish. While Antetokounmpo can now turn his attention to winning another title in a second NBA city, the Bucks are seeking a major young talent and a surplus of draft picks, according to Charania.
