The saga between Giannis Antetokounmpo and the dysfunctional Milwaukee Bucks has been boiling or simmering for a full calendar year. Sources indicate he would like to be traded to the New York Knicks after trade talks fell apart last offseason.
It seems inevitable that Antetokounmpo’s legendary reign as the superstar face of the Bucks franchise, which has seen him help them previously win a Championship, will likely come to an end this offseason.
Reports On A Nixed Deadline Deal That Would Have Seen Giannis Antetokounmpo Join The Heat
There have also been reports that the Milwaukee Bucks rejected a trade to the Miami Heat prior to the previous trade deadline.
NBA insider Shams Charania reports the latest on the trade situation, including a deal with the Heat that almost happened.
The Bucks have been caught in a cycle of trying to make moves to satisfy their superstars’ need to remain competitive, and some front-office moves simply haven’t worked out.
For instance, the move of stretching and waiving Damian Lillard to sign Myles Turner hasn’t brought them closer to contention, as they still find themselves very much facing a long rebuild without cap room or many draft assets.
As a result, Antetokounmpo has tried to diplomatically pressure the Bucks to trade him without appearing like a malcontent or losing his relationship with Bucks fans. One such trade rumor has now been confirmed by ESPN’s Shams Charania.
Charania reports that a team source told him, “When your best player is one foot in, one foot out, you’re just not going to win.” Indicating that the organization hasn’t been fully aligned due to the speculation. As well as a significant disconnect between the locker room and coach Doc Rivers.
There was a strong likelihood that Antetokounmpo was headed to sunny Miami before the deadline. Charania reports that the Heat had an offer on the table of Tyler Herro, Kel’el Ware, plus multiple first-round picks and multiple swaps. Ultimately, Bucks ownership decided that more teams could jump into the fray and make even more competitive offers for Antetokounmpo this coming summer.
Herro would have been an appealing headline piece in return as a consistent scoring guard, despite his lengthy injury history. This will be his fifth straight season of averaging over 20 points per game, and he is a fearsome perimeter shooter. He’s in the middle of a 4-year $120 million contract that runs until the end of next season.
However, as Charania points out, the “Greek Freak” will be in the last year of his contract and thus has leverage over where he wants to go. This could mean the Knicks get involved this summer.
Especially with the ESPN insider reporting that, in a private meeting, Antetokounmpo told the Bucks last July that the Knicks were the only other team he’s interested in playing for. Consequently, the organization refused, and the resulting season has been disastrous for the player and the Bucks organization.
Nevertheless, it seems inevitable that Antetokounmpo will be traded this summer.
