According to The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie, rival teams around the league believe the Milwaukee Bucks haven’t given up on Giannis Antetokounmpo and want to keep him.
With news of Antetokounmpo being open to going to a new team and teams like the Brooklyn Nets wanting to go all-in for him, this could become a likely scenario where the NBA champion takes his talents somewhere else for the betterment of his career.
For Milwaukee, they have limited draft capital that won’t allow them to have a prosperous future – if solely relied upon. In addition to that, with Damian Lillard being out next season due to a torn Achilles and the Kyle Kuzma trade being a failure, Giannis would be the only thing keeping them relevant enough to compete in an ever-growing Eastern Conference.
On the flipside of keeping him, per numerous reports and breakdowns, if general manager Jon Horst were to trade Antetokounmpo, then they could recoup some of their draft capital and get a solid player or two back in a trade to keep them Play-In (or better) bound.
It’s expected Antetokounmpo and his representatives will meet with the franchise soon to discuss their relationship, the future, if they are entering a rebuild period, and if Giannis wants to stick around.
Next season, the 30-year-old will have his new extension kick into action. In the first year, Antetokounmpo will be making $54.1 million. His second year will see him making $58.4 million, with his third year making him $62.7 million. The third year is a player option.
The overall contract is a three-year, $175.3 million extension. This will be the first time in his career where he’ll be making at least $50 million a season.