A lot has been said about Giannis Antetokounmpo and his future with the Milwaukee Bucks ever since he left the bubble after being eliminated by the Miami Heat. Milwaukee couldn’t do much against the Heat in the second round of the playoffs, ultimately leaving the bubble with a gentleman sweep, with Giannis injured and not showing good things.
The Greek Freak is one of the best players in the league in the regular season, but in the past two years, he has struggled to lead his squad to the NBA Finals, earning a lot of criticism from fans who don’t believe he can be the first option in a contender team.
All that pressure could prompt Giannis to leave the Bucks and try his luck with a different team. The Golden State Warriors, Toronto Raptors and even Miami Heat have been linked with a move for the Greek player, but nothing is certain now. Giannis still has to make a decision on his future. It’ll all depend on how he and the team fare next campaign.
Milwaukee could reach a ‘secret agreement’ with Giannis next free agency
If for some reason Giannis starts doubting his future with the team, the Bucks have some options to retain the player or at least delay his departure for one season. ESPN’s Brian Windhorst recently broke down the chances the Bucks have to keep Giannis, at least for one
season, or see him go without nothing in exchange.
“I already feel for the Milwaukee Bucks’ fans if he doesn’t sign this extension. Because it is going to be a day by day pressure fest.” said Brian. “At the same time, if Giannis signs it, he trades away his options for no reason. Other than to be nice to the Bucks. So, is there a middle path here? Is there a negotiation that can be done?”
Windhorst explained that the Bucks could make a similar deal to the one the Oklahoma City Thunder agreed with Paul George a couple of years ago. PG13 didn’t want to stay in OKC and they worked a good deal that paid off for both parties eventually.
“The Thunder were worried about Paul George leaving. So they said to him, ‘Look why don’t you sign a long-term extension here. You’re going to be with us. If for whatever reason you feel like you don’t want to be here anymore, we’ll work with you privately and quietly to trade you’. And a year into that extension, that’s exactly what happened. And they handled that trade clean and quiet as possible and both sides benefitted.”
Giannis could make a similar deal with his Bucks if they are unable to thrive next season. The Eastern Conference will be harder next season with the return of the Brooklyn Nets, the renewed Philadelphia 76ers, the Toronto Raptors looking for revenge, the Miami Heat trying to defend their crown and the Boston Celtics looking to take that final step and make it to the Finals.
It won’t be an easy job for Giannis and co. and if they fail to succeed next campaign, it’ll be hard for Antetokoumpo to want to remain in Wisconsin.
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