As the Milwaukee Bucks face the possibility of a second consecutive disappointing first-round exit from the playoffs, it sounds like the team should be worried about the happiness of two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo.
NBA insider Marc Stein reported ahead of Tuesday’s Game 5 against the Indiana Pacers that “You can rest assured that multiple teams around the league are poised to immediately begin tracking the Bucks’ offseason closely—monitoring, of course, is the go-to Twitter verb for these situations—to see how Antetokounmpo reacts to such a disappointing outcome.”
Stein’s reporting echoes ESPN’s Tim MacMahon, who said during an appearance on Monday’s episode of The Hoop Collective that Antetokounmpo “comes up very, very early, if not right off the bat” in conversations with teams who have a “stockpile” of draft picks to use as trade assets to acquire a star of his caliber.
It was just over six months ago that Antetokounmpo agreed to a $186 million max extension that keeps him under contract for at least the next three seasons. The Bucks entered the year with expectations of competing for a title after acquiring star point guard Damian Lillard, but they dealt with inconsistencies throughout the season along with a midseason coaching change from Adrian Griffin to Doc Rivers.
To make matters worse, Antetokounmpo suffered a calf strain on April 9 that has kept him sidelined for the entire series against the Pacers so far. The Bucks were dealt another major blow when Lillard suffered a strained Achilles in Game 3.
Milwaukee is not in control of its 2024 first-round draft pick, as the New Orleans Pelicans own the right to swap. The team is also in need of salary cap relief if it hopes to make any significant additions this offseason.
All of this creates a tricky situation where Antetokoumpo could seek greener pastures. His impending decision will surely be one of the most intriguing stories of the offseason.
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