When the Milwaukee Bucks won the NBA Finals in 2021, not a few thought that Giannis Antetokounmpo would have another within a few years.
However, what followed was a second-round exit from the NBA playoffs in 2022 and back-to-back first-round exits in 2023 and 2024. The Bucks have aged since their last title, and that’s something that is not lost on the two-time NBA Most Valuable Player.
“We’re getting older. We’re not getting any younger, but that doesn’t mean we cannot still perform at a high level,” Antetokounmpo said, per Jamal Collier of ESPN.
The Bucks have not made big splashes in the offseason. Some names they have added since the end of the 2023-24 campaign are the likes of Gary Trent Jr., Delon Wright and Taurean Prince. Those transactions don’t necessarily scarce Milwaukee’s rivals, so it will still be up to how well the holdovers led by Antetokounmpo will play.
Antetokounmpo is 29-years-old and will be turning 30 in December. He’s got at least a few years of great basketball in him, but again, he is not getting any younger. The Bucks will have to maximize what remains of the Greek Freak’s prime.
In a perfect world, the Bucks would have added bigger names this offseason, but it just hasn’t been that way for Milwaukee as the team’s front office doesn’t have enough assets and salary cap flexibility to facilitate such moves. Milwaukee is also over $17M past the first apron and $6.5M past the second-apron threshold.
Be the first to comment