MIAMI, FLORIDA - APRIL 24: Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks reacts during the third quarter against the Miami Heat in Game Four of the Eastern Conference First Round Playoffs at Kaseya Center on April 24, 2023 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images)
The speculation on Giannis Antetokounmpo’s future will not stop until he definitively says, “I will be a Milwaukee Buck next season.” The Knicks’ decision to extend Mikal Bridges – making him unavailable for trade for six months, something they would not have done if they believed Antetokounmpo would be available this summer – has not slowed the rumors. Even if the Greek freak came out today and said he was staying put on social media, the rumors would not stop.
“Sources tell me there’s still nothing set in stone about whether Giannis Antetokounmpo will stay in Milwaukee or whether he will be leaving. And so, he’s going to continue to evaluate his future,” said NBA insider Shams Charania. “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… This is a very tough decision for him. This is 12 years he’s spent there. There’s a lot of equity there.”
Antetokounmpo’s only public comments on the situation had him suggesting he is likely to stay: “Probably. Probably, we’ll see. Probably, I love Milwaukee.”
Those comments came after the Bucks made a bold move to show Antetokounmpo how committed they are to winning, stretching and waiving the injured Damien Lillard to get an upgrade at center in Myles Turner.
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While the Bucks still seem one player away (unless Kyle Kuzma has a revelation and role players such as Gary Harris have career years), Antetokounmpo has to ask himself if the other teams he might jump to really get him closer to a ring? If he moves to a team in the West, such as the Golden State Warriors or San Antonio Spurs (teams rumored to have interest), he will have to run a gauntlet of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the defending champion Thunder (bringing everyone back from a 68-win team), Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets, Kevin Durant and the Rockets, Anthony Edwards and the Timberwolves, LeBron James and Luka Doncic with the Lakers and the list goes on.
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