Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s decision about his future could come as early as next week.
According to NBA insider Chris Haynes, the Milwaukee Bucks have already set a meeting with Antetokounmpo to chart his and the team’s future following their third straight first-round exit.
“I was told the Bucks made contact with Giannis Antetokounmpo early as this morning and sources relayed to me that a meeting is expected to be scheduled for mid-next week,” Haynes reported on Saturday. “This is where Giannis is going to have a chance to speak with Bucks brass and talk about the direction of the team.
“There’s a lot going on with the Bucks this offseason. Knowing Giannis personally, one of the toughest competitors we have in this league. A guy who has great ambition. He wants multiple championships. That’s all he wants to do. To be put in a position where he can play alongside a team that has a chance to fight for a title. This is going to be a very, very crucial meeting next week.”
Bucks No Longer a Contender
Getty Damian Lillard #0 of the Milwaukee Bucks reacts after sustaining an injury in the first quarter against the Indiana Pacers.
The Bucks are in no position to compete for a championship next season after they lost Antetokounmpo’s co-star Damian Lillard to a devastating Achilles injury. They only have one first-round pick to use in a trade and have no tradable assets outside of Antetokounmpo.
More than half of their roster, including key players, are free agents: starting center Brook Lopez, perennial Sixth Man of the Year candidate Bobby Portis (player option), Gary Trent Jr., Taurean Prince, Pat Connaughton (player option), Kevin Porter Jr. (player option), Jericho Sims and Ryan Rollins.
According to ESPN’s front office insider Bobby Marks, the Bucks are $23 million below the luxury tax and $41 million beneath the second apron without Lopez.
They could easily become a luxury tax again if they bring back the 37-year-old center, add one significant player or multiple players using the $14.1 million non-tax midlevel exception and fill out the rest of the roster to meet the league minimum requirement of 14 players on standard contracts.
Giannis Contemplating Future Outside Milwaukee
ESPN’s Shams Charania reported on May 12 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 crucial meeting will answer the biggest question on Antetokounmpo’s future that will have a domino effect in the NBA’s offseason.
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