The Giannis Antetokounmpo trade rumors and speculation aren't going anywhere.
But the Milwaukee Bucks have done their best to put a surprising twist on the narrative.
In a new article put out Friday by ESPN's Brian Windhorst and Tim Bontemps, they discuss what has changed for the Bucks. And it's pretty simple: All of a sudden, the Bucks look like they can make serious noise in the Eastern Conference, even though it wasn't clear heading into the season that they belonged that centrally to the picture.
"Now, after a summer full of intrigue as to whether Antetokounmpo's future might lay elsewhere than Milwaukee, the only place he's played in his 13 NBA seasons, the question surrounding the Bucks in an extraordinarily wide-open East is whether they are good enough to make a Finals run that few believed possible before the season," Bontemps writes. 'I think the East is bad enough where the Bucks can definitely do real things,' an East scout said."'
MORE: Pelicans have a Zion Williamson problem that a trade won't solve
The Bucks have gotten a number of different boosts to make this happen.
Ryan Rollins has emerged as a dynamic point guard.
Myles Turner has looked comfortable with his new team.
AJ Green can't miss from 3.
Antetokounmpo has also moved into more of an offensive initiator role, like a gigantic point guard, and that's working well.
Milwaukee has a long way to go, and the East has a lot of talent at the top even if a few teams have gotten off to bumpy starts.
But the longer the Bucks play well, the more chance they have of keeping Antetokounmpo around, and that's as big a deal as it gets in the NBA right now.
More NBA news:
- Wemby is bullying Bronny
- Um, Klay Thompson shot the ball backwards
- Donovan Mitchell does something not done since Michael Jordan in 1985
- If Grizzlies trade Ja Morant, another superstar might be on his way out, too
- Steph Curry passed Kobe Bryant and is closing in on a Michael Jordan NBA record
- Russell Westbrook set a record that has never been done before