A fascinating new element has just been introduced into the ongoing trade saga surrounding Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Antetokounmpo, currently out for at least a month with a calf strain, may have played his final game for the Milwaukee Bucks, as the franchise and their star player figure out their next steps before the NBA's Feb. 5 trade deadline.
Behind the scenes though, Antetokounmpo reportedly has been weighing up a change of agent that would align him with LeBron James.
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Henry Abbott at TrueHoop reported Monday that Antetokounmpo "nearly fired" his agent Alex Saratsis over his failure to get Giannis traded from the Bucks." Amid standoff with Saratsis -- who remains Antetokounmpo's agent -- the two-time MVP's brother, Thanasis, reportedly has been in contact with Rich Paul, James' longtime agent.
"Rich, it seems clear, would like to represent Giannis, and (despite what’s happening with Anthony Davis in Dallas) is said to have been making the case that he’s the guy who can get a star player where he wants to go," Abbott wrote.
Antetokounmpo teaming up with Klutch Sports would be a power play designed to get the future Hall of Fame inductee out of Milwaukee and onto a bonafide NBA championship contender.
ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania has stated that "the writing is on the wall" for Antetokounmpo and the Bucks after nearly 13 years together, with the nine-time All-NBA selection experiencing frustration "at an all-time high."
Abbott cited two "excellent" sources who said that "this kind of agent subterfuge is a constant undertone of NBA life, and it’s not worth worrying about." However, two other sources "believe there’s a very real chance that Giannis will soon have a new agent."
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