Giannis Antetokounmpo’s future with the Milwaukee Bucks remains uncertain, as fans continue to wait for his decision regarding the upcoming season.
With all the movement going on around the NBA, ESPN’s Shams Charania appeared on First Take on Monday to give an update on the 30-year-old Bucks star’s status. While Antetokounmpo seems to be in no hurry to decide, the NBA insider claims that teams are on the prowl in case he becomes available on the trade market.
“There are multiple teams I know of that are literally waiting right now on what decision Giannis Antetokounmpo makes,” Charania said. “Waiting to see, does he actually hit the market? Training camps don’t start till mid-September.”
“There have been examples in the past. Kyrie Irving was traded to the Boston Celtics in August when he got moved. Damian Lillard was actually traded to Milwaukee in September. So there are deals that happen late in summer.”
[Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Football league for the 2025 NFL season]
Milwaukee bested the Phoenix Suns to win just the second title in franchise history in 2021, but has struggled to follow up on the championship campaign. The Bucks fell to the Celtics in the second round in 2022. Since then, they have been eliminated in the first round of the playoffs in each of the past three years.
Rumors about the uncertainty of Antetokounmpo’s future in Cream City escalated this past season following their early elimination against Indiana. Additionally, the Bucks waived point guard Damian Lillard after two seasons while he deals with an Achilles tear that he sustained against the Pacers in late April. Since then, Lillard signed a three-year deal to return to the Portland Trail Blazers, where he played for the first 11 years of his career.
Charania noted that a big factor in Antetokounmpo remaining with the Bucks is the likelihood of winning a second title with the team.
“There is nothing set in stone about whether or not Giannis Antetokounmpo stays in Milwaukee or whether he wants to leave elsewhere,” Charania shared. “He’s been evaluating his future this entire offseason. I reported way back in mid-May that he is open-minded about whether his best fit is in Milwaukee or in a trade. That process has been continuing. There’s been some conversations he’s having with his inner circle.
“The one big question that’s been surrounding Giannis Antetokounmpo, surrounding his camp, is can he win another championship? Is this Bucks roster built for this upcoming season, for him to win his second championship?”
With teams being linked to him, Antetokounmpo recently proclaimed his love for Milwaukee in an interview with internet personality iShowSpeed (real name Darren Watskin Jr.).
“A lot of people are trying to convince me to play there,” Antetokounmpo told Watkins when asked about moving teams. Watkins then asked if he plans to stay in Milwaukee, to which he replied, “Probably.”
“We’ll see, probably. I love Milwaukee,” he continued.
Antetokounmpo has been in Milwaukee since the Bucks selected him with the 15th pick in the 2013 NBA Draft. Upon his arrival, the Bucks nurtured him to become a nine-time All-Star, two-time league MVP and franchise player. With suspense surrounding his time with the Bucks, Antetokounmpo remains on his three-year deal, which he signed in 2023.
His $186 million contract was meant to keep Antetokounmpo in Milwaukee through the duration of Lillard’s deal before his abrupt dismissal. The current deal includes a player option for the 2027-28 season, per Spotrac.
Antetokounmpo averaged 30.4 points and 11.9 rebounds per game this past season as the Bucks finished fifth in the East with a 48-34 record.
Read the full article here