ESPN’s Shams Charania stirred the pot when he reported that Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks have started discussions regarding their future together. The Bucks’ 10-15 record isn’t appealing, especially to Antetokounmpo, who wants to maximize his prime years contending for an NBA championship. This has sparked various trade rumors and speculations about the Greek star’s next chapter.
There hasn’t been any update on a potential deal. In fact, no one has reported that Antetokounmpo has requested a deal. However, rival teams have started to monitor the situation closely, in case it reaches a point of no return. Acquiring a star like the European forward could command a lot in the trade market, but it’s a gamble most teams are willing to pursue.
On Monday, NBA insider Marc Stein reported that opposing franchises believe that a sweepstakes for Antetokounmpo could begin before the Feb. 5 trade deadline.
“I can tell you that around the league, teams are just not hearing it, they’re not buying it,” Stein said. “They are convinced that between now and the deadline that a sweepstakes will indeed begin.
“I don’t think we’re there yet… We’ll see if it actually happens the way rival teams expect.”
"They're convinced that between now and the deadline that a sweepstakes will indeed begin"@TheSteinLine talks to @talkhoops about what to expect regarding Giannis' future.
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The Bucks have not been competitive in their last 12 games. During that stretch, Milwaukee dealt with 10 losses. It’s not the trend that a championship team would want, even early in the campaign.
Giannis Antetokounmpo has tried his best, appearing in 17 games, averaging 28.9 points, 10.1 rebounds and 6.1 assists. Without another star, the Greek Freak is doing most of the work on both ends by himself.
The Bucks could start anew if Giannis Antetokounmpo asks out of Milwaukee
The Bucks might be left with nothing if it reaches a point where Giannis Antetokounmpo requests a trade. According to The Stein Line’s Jake Fischer, one outcome of that potential situation would mean Milwaukee will have to start over and clean its roster.
“That could mean several different outcomes … outcomes that the Bucks are indeed projected by rival front offices to be actively pondering in coming weeks. Some teams out there think the post-Giannis Bucks would want to initiate a full-scale teardown that includes trading away veterans like the title-winning Bobby Portis, February acquisition Kyle Kuzma and offseason addition Myles Turner. Even then, though, there would be loud questions,” the insider wrote.
The Bucks don’t have a competitive group around Antetokounmpo, which is why they’ve struggled. Things changed when they traded Khris Middleton last season and released All-Star Damian Lillard over the summer.
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Reign also writes NBA and WNBA news updates on Sportskeeda. He started as a feature writer for AirAlamo, an NBA website that covers the San Antonio Spurs. Some of his work can also be seen on Valley of the Suns, a Phoenix Suns-centric website, where he served as a contributing writer.
