The Milwaukee Bucks have been one of the best teams in the NBA, thanks to the play of Giannis Antetokounmpo. His two-way play has led the team to one championship, and they are hungry for another.
The franchise has gone all-in, building around its superstar. However, this has come at a price. Milwaukee has an aging roster and owes a huge amount of money down the line. It has left many analysts to wonder whether the Bucks would consider trading their best player. As the season approaches, Giannis himself acknowledged he might be traded if the team does not win a championship.
Giannis Antetokounmpo spoke to Sam Amick of The Athletic this week. He acknowledged the Milwaukee Bucks are under immense pressure to win now. Last season, injuries hit the team at the wrong time and they were bounced in the first round. However, Giannis didn’t play at all in the series, and fellow superstar Damian Lillard missed games. It’s hard to win when the two best players on the team aren’t on the court. That doesn’t reduce the pressure for this season, and Giannis acknowledged that his future with the team may be up in the air if they do not reach expectations.
“Do you have it in the back of your mind, like, ‘(What) if this year doesn’t go well?’ Yeah, if we don’t win a championship, I might get traded. Yeah, this is the job we live. This is the world we’re living in. It’s everybody.”
It is one thing for analysts to speculate. It is another for Giannis Antetokounmpo to say it out loud. It wouldn’t be a bad move for the Milwaukee Bucks to think about a trade. Teams would likely give up a king’s ransom for the former MVP. If the Bucks feel this team has reached its potential, reloading for the future might be a smart idea.
The NBA has done a lot in the last few years to try to curb spending by teams. They are third in the league in terms of salaries and luxury tax at $267.9 million. Only Phoenix and Minnesota have a larger bill. One way teams can mitigate spending is through their draft picks. Rookies cost less and can play big parts on championship teams. However, the Milwaukee Bucks don’t have a first-round draft pick until 2031 because of the trades for Jrue Holiday and Lillard. Trading Giannis would help recoup some of the lost draft capital.
The best-case scenario is the team performs well and is in contention for another championship. They have a great roster that is ready to win now, led by Doc Rivers. They have to get past Boston, but the rest of the Eastern Conference is vulnerable. However, if things go sideways, the Milwaukee Bucks may look to the future and start the rebuild process.
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