NBA insider Chris Haynes reported earlier today that Giannis Antetokounmpo met with his Milwaukee Bucks teammates to discuss the rumors of his trade future. Haynes claimed that Antetokounmpo warned them to focus on basketball and ignore the outside noise. However, multiple Bucks players have stated that this meeting never happened.
The entire league talking about a potential Giannis trade has taken over Milwaukee’s season to have it make sense if he wanted to have a meeting about it. Both Kyle Kuzma and Kevin Porter disputed Haynes report about the former MVP visiting the locker room to give inspiring speeches.
“I don’t really remember a time he met with us,” Kuzma said at practice on Wednesday. “He didn’t sit us down like the apprentice. It didn’t go down like that” The claim of Kuzma is that Antetokounmpo has never had a sit-down meeting addressing the locker room. Haynes is usually on the money with his inside reports, but Kuzma’s quotes make his story look inaccurate.
Kevin Porter: Giannis Meeting Never Happened
Porter is another important member of the Bucks also making his voice heard about this meeting story confusing to him. The absence of Antetokounmpo sees Porter as one of the most important players that must increase his scoring on a nightly basis to give the team a chance.
According to Porter, the meeting never happened, but he provided his own insight on the team’s tricky situation of having a superstar in trade rumors:
“Did that actually happen? Are you asking me? I mean, no. This is the last thing I’m gonna say about anything regarding false information. At the end of the day, everyone needs to wait until Giannis says something. Because all of this is just he say, she say and I guarantee you when we start winning and go 8-0, 9-0, you won’t see nothing about the Bucks.“
Porter is right that winning would solve some of these issues, but the long-term future and the overall ceiling of the franchise isn’t great. Most teams view Milwaukee as a one-man team and are waiting for Giannis to formally request his trade to a new franchise.
Should Giannis Antetokounmpo Meet With Team?
Head coach Doc Rivers finds himself in another stressful scenario of arguably the greatest player in the team’s history potentially requesting a trade. Milwaukee fans view Giannis as the ultimate fan favorite since he won the franchise’s first NBA Championship in decades and continues moving up the all-time list as a one-team player this far.
Antetokounmpo addressing the team and providing some encouragement through the drama would be a helpful gesture to Rivers and the locker room. However, it isn’t owed and would make him look bad if he talks about the Bucks trying to win while planning his next move out of town.
Nothing is owed by Giannis, especially after he’s given so much to the franchise. Haynes’ report likely not being true just makes it look even more likely that Antetokounmpo may be out of there sooner than later. Don’t be surprised if the two-time MVP formally requests his trade before 2025 ends.
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