The Bucks Are In a Tough Spot
On the Milwaukee Bucks outlook and why they have a complicated path forward even if they get a generational haul for Giannis Antetokounmpo.
The Milwaukee Bucks have done everything in their power to maximize the present around Giannis Antetokounmpo. Since his ascension to MVP status in 2019, they’ve made several aggressive moves to build a roster capable of contending for a championship. These moves have resulted in seven playoff berths, two Eastern Conference Finals appearances, and an NBA championship.
These moves came at the cost of mortgaging future draft picks as far out as they can. They were risky since one bad year could mean losing a valuable selection. But as long as Antetokounmpo was a Buck, they’d at least be competitive. This is what they were banking on and still are to this day.
Now the Bucks are facing one of the worst-case scenarios with Antetokounmpo starting to lose faith in them. Last week, Shams Charania reported that Antetokounmpo and his agent will begin conversations with the Bucks about whether his fit is best with the Bucks or elsewhere.
This is the second time this year Charania reported on Antetokounmpo’s open-mindedness playing elsewhere. This initial soft-launch trade request was followed up in October with a report that the Knicks are his top and only destination. No trade materialized, so when he had a chance to address the reports in training camp, he didn’t deny them but expressed his commitment to the Bucks for this season.
It appears that non-binding commitment is already wearing thin. The Bucks got off to a strong start to the season with Antetokounmpo carrying the load with MVP-level numbers. They are now 10-15 and losers of 10 of their last 12 games. In that stretch, they lost all six games he missed and are .500 when he’s active.
The Bucks weren’t expected to be contenders this year, but they’re performing worse than what their expectations probably are. Their current standing puts them on the cusp of not securing a top-10 seed for the Play-In Tournament. Things probably won’t get better anytime soon, with Antetokounmpo expected to miss 2-4 weeks with a calf strain.
So far, the Bucks have reportedly not fielded trade inquiries on Antetokounmpo, according to Jake Fischer. They’re right to posture for now, but the noise of the past seven months paints a compelling picture. It feels like he has requested a trade, even if he refuses to explicitly make one. But their path forward is muddled even if they land a megahaul due to their outgoing pick obligations.
