Giannis Antetokounmpo opens door to transfer for first time
The Bucks will sit down this summer with Giannis Antetokounmpo’s agents, who are looking to explore the market and to discuss his future.
The NBA’s summer transfer market will revolve around a player who won’t be free. He has a contract until June 2028 (with a player release clause in 2027), and must be traded for a change of scenery. And that’s what he’s working on. Giannis Antetokounmpo has leaked for the first time his intention to see what life is like beyond the Milwaukee Bucks, the team that trusted him twelve years ago and with which he won the championship four years ago. And, in these circles, where there’s smoke…
ESPN, through Shams Charania, reported this Monday that Giannis wants to “explore” options that fit what he wants outside of Milwaukee. Another ring is the goal.
Antetokounmpo hasn’t played for any other team in the NBA other than the Bucks. He’s experienced the best of times with them, in their return to the court after the pandemic and with a victory against the Suns in the Finals, and he’s having a tough time: in the same year he won the NBA Cup, second only to the Lakers, he was eliminated in the first round for the third consecutive season. A change is necessary.
While it’s said that the 30-year-old Greek hasn’t made any choices beyond this one, even leaking that he wants to explore the market already says a lot. It’s the first time this has happened, so a trade is coming. “He’s open to exploring a long-term option, whether it’s staying in Milwaukee or going elsewhere,” Charania writes. The process will be as follows: two of his representatives, Giorgios Panou and Alex Saratsis, will meet with Bucks management to find out what the plan is, what they’re offering, and whether the superstar is willing to accept it. Once the Wisconsin team’s position is known, it will be up to Antetokounmpo to decide whether to give the green light or formally ask the franchise to seek a trade.
Giannis also has the peculiarity of feeling more comfortable in a small market than a large one, as he has admitted in the past. Since its elimination, the Lakers’ situation has become complicated not only by that but also by the limited return the Bucks could receive. Other teams mentioned include the Spurs and the Thunder. Being a title contender in the present, with no medium-term plans, is what will convince him most.
Contacts are expected this week with several interested teams, with more leeway on the financial front, to see how Milwaukee is faring. It’s a long-distance race that begins now, and one in which they must position themselves. As reported in the United States, a move of this kind is the first piece of a domino that “threatens the franchises’ long-term movements.” It’s structural. Because being considered free and deciding his future unilaterally is still a long way off: he’s currently on an agreement, the so-called NBA supermax, which went into effect in 2021 and has been tweaked for 2025; he’s earned $48.7 million this season and has $112.5 million left until he can choose for the first time (a $62 million player option in two summers). He needs to use the trade market to get out of there, if that’s what he truly wants. It’s no coincidence that this was announced just hours before the draft lottery, the first event of the upcoming season and one that begins to shape the market. In Milwaukee, moreover, they are more prepared now than in previous years to consider Giannis’s departure because they have a pick and contractual exceptions to use as negotiating tools.
The end?
The future isn’t promising. For starters, there’s the serious injury Lillard suffered in Game 4 of the series against Indiana. The point guard tore his achilles tendon, one of the most serious injuries a player can sustain. Considering he’ll turn 35 in July, it’s hard to imagine one of the most decisive players in recent memory, a point guard who has been one of the league’s benchmarks at his position for years, ever regaining a level he was already struggling to achieve before his Achilles tear. And his contract isn’t exactly going to help the Bucks. Behind Anteto, he’s the highest-paid player on the roster: $54.1 million next season and $58.5 million the following season with a player option, approximately 35% of the Milwaukee franchise’s roster budget for each of those years.
Lillard’s supermax joins Antetokounmpo’s and the equally impressive contract of Kyle Kuzma, who arrived from Washington in February in the Middleton trade and who arguably is the worst starter of the 16 teams that have played in these playoffs. These three players together have 80% of their salaries committed through 2027. Brook Lopez’s contract is ending, and the financials could benefit from his departure. But the center, whose age is growing increasingly burdensome, remains fundamental to the team’s construction due to his intimidation near the rim and his outside shooting. Finding someone with those qualities who earns less won’t be easy.
To complicate matters further, the Bucks don’t control any of their first-round picks until 2031. This year’s belongs to the Brooklyn Nets. The 2026 pick can be traded to the New Orleans Pelicans. The 2027 pick will go to either New Orleans or Atlanta. The 2028 draft pick is also tradable, in this case to the Portland Trail Blazers or the Washington Wizards. The 2030 draft pick can also be traded by the Blazers if it suits them. This means they can’t improve the team through the draft, either by investing in promising young players or adding high-stakes picks in trades for players.
Fernando Faucha
Get your game on! Whether you’re into NFL touchdowns, NBA buzzer-beaters, world-class soccer goals, or MLB home runs, our app has it all. Dive into live coverage, expert insights, breaking news, exclusive videos, and more – plus, stay updated on the latest in current affairs and entertainment. Download now for all-access coverage, right at your fingertips – anytime, anywhere.
Complete your personal details to comment
Your opinion will be published with first and last names