Trade rumors surrounding Giannis Antetokounmpo continue to escalate as the Milwaukee Bucks struggle to stay afloat in his absence. However, the injured superstar forward is determined not to let his teammates get distracted by the outside noise.
On Tuesday, NBA insider Chris Haynes relayed Antetokounmpo’s strong message to his squad as Milwaukee’s playoff hopes hang in the balance.
Giannis Antetokounmpo Sets Record Straight With Bucks Teammates Amid Rampant Trade Speculation
Despite attempting to revamp its roster around Antetokounmpo over the offseason, Milwaukee has performed like a bottom-tier team on both ends of the floor with him sidelined. The Bucks (10-15) have gone just 1-7 across eight games without the two-time MVP, dropping to 10th in the Eastern Conference.
ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Thursday that Antetokounmpo, fresh off opening discussions about his “future” in Milwaukee, would miss two to four weeks due to a right calf strain. A day later, Bucks coach Doc Rivers anticipated the nine-time All-Star would not return until the latter end of that timeline, casting further doubt on his team’s outlook.
According to Charania’s Tuesday update, “should the Bucks’ slide continue, sources said discussions between Antetokounmpo’s representation and the franchise will escalate and lead to a resolution before the Feb. 5 trade deadline.”
Against the backdrop of uncertainty, the 31-year-old reportedly took the opportunity to clarify his intentions with his teammates and instruct them on how to navigate the drama.
“With rumors going on, rumors swirling rampant right now on Giannis Antetokounmpo and his future, sources have relayed to me that Giannis Antetokounmpo addressed some of his teammates recently to stress the importance of focusing on basketball and not to allow outside distractions to interfere with the process at hand,” Haynes said Tuesday night.
“I was told that his point was that he’s here at the time being, wanting to get better, wanting to make sure he gets his game back on point, make sure he gets back from his injury. But he understood, and he relayed the message that he can’t control what goes on or what even happens to him.”
Even so, Milwaukee’s schedule won’t let up anytime soon, with six of its next eight contests coming on the road. Moreover, three of the Bucks’ next four outings are against upper-echelon opponents ranked within the top six in their respective conferences.
As such, things could get worse before they get better for Antetokounmpo and Co., with the Chicago Bulls (9-14)Â trailing them by mere percentage points for the East’s final play-in spot.
