The Milwaukee Bucks haven't been eliminated from the 2024 NBA Playoffs yet, but the Sharks may already be starting to come full circle.
ESPN's Tim McMahon reported on Brian Windhorst. hoop collective On the podcast, Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo said of teams that could use their “stockpile” of draft picks to acquire a top player, saying, “If not right away, then very early on. ” he said.
There's nothing yet to indicate Antetokounmpo will start seriously considering his future in Milwaukee. He only agreed to an extension last October that will keep him under contract for at least two more seasons.
However, it wouldn't be a complete shock if the two-time NBA MVP decided to explore greener pastures.
The Bucks will likely lose to the Indiana Pacers and be eliminated in the first round. Their fate was all but sealed when Giannis suffered a calf strain late in the regular season and Damian Lillard's Achilles injury dealt another blow.
Even considering injuries, Milwaukee hasn't performed as well as expected. Feelings were strong enough in the front office to fire head coach Adrian Griffin after just 43 games, but things didn't improve much when Doc Rivers took over.
General manager Jon Horst also doesn't have many ways to meaningfully improve the roster, having used up his best trade asset to put this team together. In the short term, there is little draft capital or salary cap room.
Horst had to make a choice last offseason.
With Brook Lopez heading to free agency and Jrue Holiday eligible to hit the open market in another year, the Bucks need to take a step back, but could make their roster younger and cheaper. There was a possibility that they would try to sell Antetokounmpo as part of a realignment. Instead, they reinforced the status quo by re-signing Lopez and trading Holiday for Lillard.
Giannis extension aside, the immediate benefits from that strategy aren't encouraging.
If all that matters to Antetokounmpo is winning another championship, he might think his chances in Milwaukee are closed.
