The Milwaukee Bucks haven’t yet been eliminated from the 2024 NBA Playoffs, but the sharks may already be starting to circle.
ESPN’s Tim MacMahon reported on Brian Windhorst’s show Hoops Collective podcast that Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo is “showing up very, very early, if not right off the bat” with teams that could leverage a “stockpile” of draft picks to acquire big-name talent.
There is no indication yet that Antetokounmpo will begin to seriously consider his future in Milwaukee. It was only last October that he agreed to an extension that keeps him under contract for at least two more seasons.
But it wouldn’t be a total shock if the two-time NBA MVP decided to explore greener pastures.
The Bucks are in all likelihood headed for a first-round elimination at the hands of the Indiana Pacers. Their fate was all but sealed when Giannis suffered a calf strain late in the regular season, and Damian Lillard’s Achilles injury was another blow.
Even accounting for injuries, Milwaukee simply hasn’t lived up to expectations. The front office was convinced enough to fire head coach Adrian Griffin after just 43 games and things didn’t get much better once Doc Rivers took over.
There also aren’t many ways for general manager Jon Horst to significantly improve the roster, as he’s exhausted his best trade assets to build this team. In the short term, there is little room in draft capital or salary cap room.
Horst had to make a choice last offseason.
With Brook Lopez headed to free agency and Jrue Holiday eligible to hit the open market in another year, the Bucks could have attempted to sell Antetokounmpo on a retool that would require taking a step back but allow the roster to become younger and less expensive. Instead, they doubled down on their offer by re-signing Lopez and trading Holiday for Lillard.
Aside from Giannis’ extension, the immediate results of this strategy are not encouraging.
If winning another championship is all that matters to Antetokounmpo, he might think his window has closed in Milwaukee.
