Giannis: “I could be traded if we don’t win the ring”

The Bucks are taking a good look at themselves. The team’s gradual decline since winning the title in 2021, the first in 50 years for the franchise, means that the 2024-25 season is of vital importance to them.

In the three years since that last championship win, they lost in the Conference semi-finals to the Celtics first and in the first round the following year, which led to the departure of Mike Budenholzer, an icon until then for the franchise although he was always under question. Added to this was the injury to Khris Middleton, key to the historic victory - one from which the shooting guard has not yet recovered.

Since then, he has not been the same, either on offense or defense. And that, among other things, has meant a constant whirlwind of ups and downs and movements in Milwaukee that seems never-ending although it has slowed down briefly this year.

Last summer was tumultuous: the Bucks signed Damian Lillard and let go of a key figure like Jrue Holiday, who headed to the Celtics to win the ring, the second in his career. The new point guard was a very different profile, much more of a scorer and with defensive deficiencies that made the team lose its essence. But the objective was for Giannis Antetokounmpo to renew and remain linked to the franchise.

His demands were constant, as was the interventionism with which he handled himself within the entity, handling behind the scenes the dismissal of Budenholzer first and that of rookie Adrian Griffin later. An old acquaintance like Doc Rivers, seasoned in a thousand battles but also with many failures in his last projects, took over the controls. Giannis renewed. But nothing went as expected.

The Bucks postseason disappointments

The Bucks, through injuries, said goodbye in the first round against the Pacers, who reached the Conference finals. It was the second consecutive elimination at the first hurdle. Milwaukee lost its status as favorite and the best news for Antetokounmpo was that people stopped talking about him and his schemes so that the institution could do everything he wanted. Nobody blamed him for Greece’s elimination from the Paris Olympics due to a short roster, but back in the NBA everything is back on track.

Lillard’s Navy Seal diet has been much talked about and the Celtics are favorites, with the Knicks more than reinforced. It remains to be seen if the Bucks will be there afterwards, who together with the Sixers aspire to dethrone the current champions and the New York power, which seeks to recover the lost pride of Madison.

In the midst of all this, Giannis has once again been the protagonist with surprising statements made to the American media. He told The Athletic, “Yes, if we don’t win a championship, they could trade me. This is the business we live in. This is the world we live in. No one is safe. At any moment, if you’re not successful, it could be the end... If you don’t do the job well enough, you’re out.”

Ambiguous statements that no one really knows how to take. The Bucks have already made it more than clear that the Greek is their man of the future and they have him tied up until 2027, which would be 2028 if he exercises the pending player option. But it may be Giannis who would force a transfer if he sees that things are not working out as he would like. He’s almost 30 years old and he wants to continue to aim for a championship that has been elusive since he won it in 2021. And, as he has said, this is the NBA. Anything can happen.