The Milwaukee Bucks are not out of the woods yet, even after they pushed all their chips to the middle of the table to acquire Myles Turner to partner with Giannis Antetokounmpo.
According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, Antetokounmpo’s future in Milwaukee remains in doubt.
“We’re standing here, it’s Aug. 4. Sources tell me there’s still nothing set in stone about whether Giannis Antetokounmpo will stay in Milwaukee or whether he will be leaving,” Charania said on ESPN’s “Get Up” on Aug. 4. “And so, he’s going to continue to evaluate his future.
“I reported it in mid-May that he’s evaluating whether his best fit is in Milwaukee or is it elsewhere. And that process is continuing. There’s been some very real conversations over the past week or so. The constant question that Giannis has, though, is, ‘Can I win a championship with this roster? Is this roster going to be one for this upcoming year and 2026-2027?’ He wants to win a second championship. So, he’s asking that question over and over.”
Bucks’ Major Roster Changes
Getty Myles Turner joins Giannis Antetokounmpo in the Milwaukee Bucks frontline.
The Bucks essentially replaced Brook Lopez, who signed with the Los Angeles Clippers in free agency, with Turner. And then they got career backup point guard Cole Anthony to fill in the spot left by the injured Damian Lillard, whose remaining $103 million contract was waived and stretched to create cap room to sign Turner.
The Bucks missed on Bradley Beal and Marcus Smart, who joined Western Conference contenders, the Clippers and the Lakers, respectively, for more money, not necessarily for a bigger role, which they could have had in Milwaukee.
Despite missing out on marquee free agents, the Bucks’ top officials are confident that Antetokounmpo will not request a trade anytime soon.
“We kind of laugh internally. It’s where we’ve been for ten years,” Bucks president Peter Feigin said on an NBATV Summer League broadcast. “Giannis loves Milwaukee, Milwaukee loves Giannis. We’re in a good place. We feel great about it. It’s business as usual.”
Whether that holds will be known later this offseason.
Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Trade Market Will be Robust
According to Charania, there are “multiple teams waiting in the wings, potentially, if Giannis this offseason still makes that decision” to seek a trade.
“This is a very tough decision for him. This is 12 years he’s spent there,” Charania said. “There’s a lot of equity there. He won a championship there. This type of move isn’t going to be easy because this is a Milwaukee Bucks organization that went out and stretch-waived Damian Lillard’s $113 million. They did that because they wanted to show Giannis, we’re doing everything in our power to keep you here. But Giannis Antetokounmpo is the ultimate decider whether he feels this roster is good enough.”
Bucks general manager John Horst told The Athletic’s Eric Nehm they went above and beyond to maximize Antetokounmpo’s championship window.
“We’ve done everything, I’ve done everything within my humanly possible power this offseason,” Horst told Nehm. “We do everything we can to put the next version of this thing out there, to give Doc [Rivers] and Giannis and Bobby [Portis] and Scoot [Kevin Porter Jr.] and the guys on our team every chance that they can to win every night.”
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