The Milwaukee Bucks get good news on the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade rumors, as one of his rumored potential landing spots is not keen on trading for him.
Despite the Golden State Warriors falling short in the playoffs, they will not desperately pursue Antetokounmpo if he becomes available, according to The Athletic.
“There are no early indications that the Warriors will be at the front of the line of the yet-to-materialize Giannis Antetokounmpo sweepstakes, league sources said. As they enter the summer, team sources said, the internal plan and conversation is about how to best reform the role players around the [Stephen] Curry and [Jimmy] Butler duo, not chase another star,” The Athletic’s Sam Amick and Marcus Thompson II reported in the aftermath of the Warriors’ elimination.
With the Warriors lukewarm to the idea of gutting out their roster to pair Antetokounmpo with Curry, the Bucks have one less team on their heels to worry about in their bid to keep their franchise star from leaving.
GettyGolden State Warriors star Stephen Curry high-fives Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks.
Amick earlier reported that Antetokounmpo has been the Warriors’ dream trade target long before they landed Butler. He even noted how the Warriors’ top brass took notice of Antetokounmpo’s closeness with Curry that was exhibited during the All-Star Weekend in San Francisco in February.
“Antetokounmpo, who has been known to be a dream target of the Warriors for a long time, made a late-night appearance at Curry’s party in San Francisco during All-Star weekend. Warriors officials on hand took (gleeful) notice — including fellow attendee, Golden State owner Joe Lacob. Draymond Green and Kevon Looney were part of the get-together as well,” Amick wrote in The Athletic’s latest roundtable on Antetokounmpo’s uncertain future in Milwaukee, published on May 13.
Giannis Antetokounmpo Keeps Options Open
ESPN’s Shams Charania reported on Monday that the Bucks star is contemplating whether to stay or seek a trade out of Milwaukee.
The two-time NBA MVP has not made any firm decisions on his Bucks future after the franchise’s third consecutive postseason exit in the first round, but, for the first time in his career, Antetokounmpo is open-minded about exploring whether his best long-term fit is remaining in Milwaukee or playing elsewhere, league sources told ESPN.
Teams have approached the Bucks frequently over the years about the availability of Antetokounmpo as a normal exercise, and they are expected to ramp up due diligence during combine week, according to league sources.
But any conversations surrounding the perennial All-NBA superstar and 2021 NBA champion start primarily with where he believes his long-term future lies and whether there is a franchise outside of Milwaukee that is sensible for him.
The Bucks and Antetokounmpo’s representation are scheduled to meet this offseason, according to Charania, that will crystalized the 30-year-old star’s future and the direction of the franchise.
Bucks Want to Keep Homegrown Star
The Bucks have no plans to trade Antetokounmpo unless he asks for it, according to NBA insider Marc Stein.
“I don’t think Giannis himself does not want to go to the Bucks and say, ‘Trade me.’ But next year, there’s no way with Damian Lillard carrying a salary of nearly 60 million — they don’t have control of their own first-round pick till 2031 — they don’t have a pathway to build a contender around him at this point,” Stein said on the “All NBA” podcast on May 3. “But the rumbles that you always hear are that just having Giannis is so important to them financially. They’re not going to trade him unless he pushes it.”
After 12 seasons, the Bucks’ homegrown star has started to entertain thoughts about leaving the team that drafted him because they are running out of options to keep building a championship contender around him.
They have not won a playoff series since Antetokounmpo powered them to the 2021 NBA championship. His co-star Damian Lillard, who is due for $54.1 million next season, could miss the majority of it, if not entirely, after suffering a devastating Achilles injury in the playoffs.
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