According to Marc Stein of The Stein Line, Giannis Antetokounmpo hasn’t requested a trade from the Milwaukee Bucks yet.
The Bucks, who have won only one postseason series since winning the 2021 championship, are loudly reminding Antetokounmpo about the current state of the Eastern Conference.
“Word is that the Bucks are trying to build a good bit of their case for convincing Antetokounmpo to give them another shot to build a title team around him by loudly reminding him about the current state of the Eastern Conference,” Stein wrote. “Milwaukee has indeed been eliminated in Round 1 by Indiana in each of the past two springs … which can’t exactly be described as promising when the Pacers have a real shot to make their first trip to the NBA Finals since 2000.
“Yet simply staying in the East would almost certainly enhance Antetokounmpo’s chances of winning the second championship he so deeply craves given the injury-related uncertainty facing contenders like Boston and Philadelphia and how much harder it clearly is just to get out of the West and into the NBA Finals. A significant aspect of the Bucks’ pitch, then, is selling Antetokounmpo on the idea of a so-called gap year that enables them to retool the team while allowing him to maintain his one-team affiliation after 12 seasons in Milwaukee. The very forgiving East landscape certainly enhances the notion that it wouldn’t take years (with an s) to return to contention.”
The Bucks signed Antetokounmpo to a three-year, $175 million extension in October 2023.
Antetokounmpo is a two-time MVP, a one-time Finals MVP, a one-time Defensive Player of the Year and a nine-time All-Star. He has spent his entire career with the Bucks.
A superstar forward, Antetokounmpo has career averages of 23.9 points, 9.9 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.2 blocks.
The Greek Freak put up 30.4 points, 11.9 rebounds, 6.5 assists, 0.9 steals and 1.2 blocks per game for the Bucks this season.
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