Giannis Antetokounmpo’s NBA future was widely discussed leading up to February’s trade deadline. The sports world speculated that the Milwaukee Bucks would trade him, but the team ultimately decided to hold onto him.
Now, the Greek superstar’s future is still in major question, as the Bucks ponder an offseason trade. Next season is the final guaranteed year of Antetokounmpo’s $175.39 million contract and then he has a player option, which further complicates matters. He has been linked to quite a few cities as of late, and he just took a public dig at one of them.
Giannis Antetokounmpo Takes a Shot at Los Angeles
The Bucks superstar recently made an appearance on Goran Dragić’s podcast. During the conversation, he was asked where he’d rather go on vacation: Los Angeles or Miami? Lakers fans’ hopes of an Antetokounmpo-Luka Dončić tandem went up in flames with the Bucks superstar’s answer.
“Miami. Miami. Miami. I think LA is super superficial,” Antetokounmpo said. “I don’t like… I don’t like LA.”
Antetokounmpo is most commonly linked to the Heat and New York Knicks. During the same podcast, he called Miami a “beautiful city” unprompted, which turned some heads and excited Heat fans.
MORE: ‘We Are So Back’ — Heat World Reacts As Giannis Antetokounmpo Reignites Trade Rumors
He has also expressed his admiration for the Knicks franchise, shouting out New York’s passionate fans and the iconic Madison Square Garden atmosphere.
In addition to the Knicks, the Greek Freak has also been linked to the Golden State Warriors, where he could potentially form a deadly duo with the legendary Stephen Curry.
This summer, all eyes will be on the Bucks to see whether they decide to part ways with the superstar. When they opted to keep him at the trade deadline, it was reported that they only did so because they anticipated that they could get better offers over the offseason.
Further complicating matters is the fact that Antetokounmpo wanted to play down the final stretch of the regular season and insisted he was healthy enough to do so, but Milwaukee wouldn’t let him. This prompted an NBA investigation and strained the relationship further. Now, there have been rumblings that a breakup may be inevitable.
Former Bucks head coach Doc Rivers stated recently that neither Antetokounmpo nor the team are sure how to end this marriage.
“I don’t think Giannis knows if he wants to say or not. And I don’t know, the organization knows one way or not, either,” Rivers said. “And it’s just, it’s too bad, because I just hope that part is figured out. … When you win a title with someone, there’s like a blood transfusion, and that transfusion shouldn’t be broken.”
MORE: ‘If I Could Turn Time Back’ — Giannis Antetokounmpo Reveals Major Regret About Bucks Trade Rumors
The Bucks won the 2021 championship led by Antetokounmpo. It was their first title in 50 years, and everyone thought it was the start of something special for Milwaukee. Since then, the Bucks have endured three first-round exits.
This offseason, rival teams will certainly try to swoop in and land Antetokounmpo’s services. It remains to be seen where he’ll land, but it sounds like Los Angeles isn’t atop Giannis’ wish list.
