Bucks Dealt Concerning News on Giannis Antetokounmpo Ahead of NBA Free Agency originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The Milwaukee Bucks have the league and NBA fans asking a lot of questions this offseason, as no one knows what direction the franchise will go in when it comes to Giannis Antetokounmpo. After being eliminated in the first round of the playoffs for three straight seasons, it’s obvious that some things need to change.
Going into next season, there is plenty of uncertainty with the roster as Damian Lillard may miss the entire season while recovering from an Achilles injury.
The big news that everyone is waiting for is whether Antetokounmpo will request a trade or stay with the Bucks. No one knows what the Bucks star will do at this point, but the Bucks are going to have to sell the star on a clear plan if they want him to stay.
As of now, many don’t think the Bucks have what it takes to bring in the talent to convince Antetokounmpo to remain in Milwaukee, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst.
“Can the Bucks between keeping their players and potentially trying to find a stopgap point guard, can they present Giannis with a team that can be a contender in the Eastern Conference? The league doesn’t think so,” Windhorst said on “Get Up,” per RealGM.
“That is why over the last few days we have seen a couple teams who could have bid for Kevin Durant—a team like New York, a team like Miami, potentially a team like San Antonio not get into that bidding,” Windhorst continued.
“And we saw a Milwaukee Bucks’ 2026 first-round pick traded on draft night with the expectation that could be a valuable pick because teams are questioning whether the Bucks will be a strong team next year because they are questioning whether Giannis is going to be there.”
Antetokounmpo’s three-year, $175 million contract is technically slated to go through the 2027-28 season. Yet, being under contract has not prevented NBA superstars from pushing for trades in recent years.
All eyes will be on the Bucks this offseason as many want to see what the franchise does in free agency to improve the team, including Antetokounmpo.
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This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 29, 2025, where it first appeared.