An expert breaks down a route for nine-time All-NBA Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo to pressure the team's front office.
The two-time league MVP may have been sated by general manager Jon Horst's proactive offseason, for now. With nine-time All-Star point guard Damian Lillard likely out for all of 2025-26 recovering from an Achilles tendon rupture, Horst opted to stretch and waive the 35-year-old.
Using his newly-acquired cap space, Horst stole 3-and-D ex-Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner on a four-season, $108.9 million free agent deal. Turner replaces longtime Bucks starting center Brook Lopez, whom Turner thoroughly embarrassed in the playoffs.
An offseason of change for Milwaukee
Horst next re-signed several key Bucks, including power forward/center Bobby Portis Jr., guard Kevin Porter Jr., forward Taurean Prince, guard Gary Trent Jr., guard Ryan Rollins, and center Jericho Sims. He also brought in free agent former Orlando Magic guards Cole Anthony and Gary Harris.
Most importantly for Antetokounmpo, Horst signed his older brother Thanasis to a one-year, $2.9 million, fully guaranteed veteran's minimum deal.
Is this enough to appease Giannis Antetokounmpo?
Maybe. For now.
But The Ringer's Zach Lowe cautioned on his podcast "The Zach Lowe Show" that this might not be the end of the Bucks' Antetokounmpo problem.
"Next offseason is really shaping up to be an interesting one, because next offseason is when Giannis becomes extension-eligible. And it's like four years, $300 million, some crazy number," Lowe said. "And that's the line in the sand. He either signs that or he doesn't, and then '26-'27 is the last guaranteed year on his contract, he has a player option after that for $63 million. Holy smokes these salaries are getting high."
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Even if he doesn't demand a trade, Antetokounmpo could hit unrestricted free agency in 2027, when he'll be 32 — and will have no shortage of interested teams.
"And if he wants to put pressure on the organization, that's how to do it," Lowe opined. "I think even had he sort of made a soft request this summer, the Bucks would have said, 'No, we're not doing that. We're not trading you. You have two years left on your contract, plus the player option, we don't have to do that.' And I think he probably looked around, and said, 'What better option is there now?'"
The threat of an Antetokounmpo departure could indeed galvanize Milwaukee towards making even further radical roster revisions — although the team doesn't have a ton of draft equity to leverage in trades.
"And then you look at the East, and it's like, 'Who are we really scared of?' I don't think the Bucks could win the East... but they do have Giannis, they do have the best player in the conference," Lowe added.
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