It’s why, four years after the Durant coup, this Giannis to the Warriors noise remains at an incessant murmur, despite how truly impractical it is in reality. This is nothing like the Durant situation. Those dominoes lined up perfectly. These dominoes, linking Giannis and the aged, expensive Warriors, have lined up terribly. Context matters. Let’s look at the three large-scope reasons why the two circumstances are so different and why any longshot pursuit for Giannis is far more difficult.
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Durant had turned 27 by the time he hosted his free-agency meetings in the Hamptons. Steph Curry, born five months after Durant, was 28. Draymond Green and Klay Thompson were 26. It was a young, established core pitching a peer of a similar age. Come to us and let’s all plow through the league during our collective primes. That’s what drew Durant. If Giannis hits the market next summer, he will be 26. Curry — a friendly acquaintance, considered by those in the know as the dominant reason Giannis’ eyes would even tilt in the Warriors’ direction — will be 33. Thompson, currently in the late stages of his ACL rehab, and Green, showing early signs of a physical decline, will both be 31.
In Durant’s first season with the Warriors, Curry was the 82nd highest-paid player in the NBA. It was the final year of that well-timed (or ill-timed, if you’re Curry) rookie extension signed back in 2012. He was on the books for only $12.1 million, slightly more than Nikola Peković, slightly less than Marvin Williams. It’s very beneficial when your best player is paid like a fringe starter. It’s also helpful when your second- and third-best players, both All-Stars, are under market value. Thompson earned $16.6 million that season. Green earned $15.3 million. Neither were among the 40 highest-paid players in the league. That (along with the cap spike, which we’ll discuss shortly) laid a pristine route for Durant’s $26.5 million contract to fit snugly under the cap restrictions.
Circumstances would be quite different if Giannis reached free agency and wanted to sign with the Warriors. In the first season of what will be Giannis’ next contract, Curry is set to make $45.8 million, an NBA record (breaking the record he’ll set the season prior). Thompson is on the books for $37.9 million. Green is on the books for $24 million. Combined between the three: $107.8 million. Add in Andrew Wiggins, making $31.6 million, and that’s $139.4 million combined between four players. The projected salary cap for that season, delivered before this financially-crushing pandemic hit, was $125 million. So, no, unlike Durant, there’s no way that Giannis (and his next max contract, projected to begin at $37.5 million) can sign with the Warriors outright.
Milwaukee is going to be in a very difficult position if [Giannis Antetokounmpo] doesn’t sign the extension, because it leaves them in a position where a) he could leave for nothing (as opposed to an Anthony Davis-style trade) b) they need to be all-in on the 2021-22 season to convince him to stay, but c) they need to leave themselves in a position to survive if he leaves.
Of those criteria, I’d say the last one is by far the least important. The Milwaukees of the world don’t get a lot of chances at talent of this caliber. Giannis is the best player this franchise has had in the 40-plus years since Kareem left, and it might be another 40 before it gets a player like this again. So you do everything you can to maximize him for however long he’s there.
The more interesting part is the implications for the offseason. Does an iffy status push the Bucks to do some things they otherwise might not — say, package the first-round pick from Indiana for some immediate help at the backup wing spots? Use their full mid-level exception and re-sign Pat Connaughton even if the combination of those two moves could put them in the luxury tax? Look at larger deals involving future firsts or Eric Bledsoe?
But in truth, all of the above should be on the table even if Antetokounmpo signs the extension because the Bucks are in win-now mode. But with an extension, they can make moves with the luxury of knowing they have a six-year window rather than a one-year window. Inevitably, that changes things. Finally, there is the thought that if he doesn’t sign the extension the Bucks should trade him. I wouldn’t do this unless they have very clear smoke signals that he plans to sign elsewhere. Again, the Bucks aren’t getting access to another talent like this for a long time in all likelihood. And any trade involving Antetekounmpo is impossible to win.
According to a league source, the Warriors have been preparing for years to make a bid for Antetokounmpo. General manager Bob Myers knows that to chart a course for long-term greatness, a team must maintain flexibility — both in terms of its roster and future assets.
By orchestrating a complex sign-and-trade last summer with Brooklyn for guard D’Angelo Russell, the Warriors got younger while obtaining a key trade chip. In February, when negotiating the deal that sent Russell to the Timberwolves, Myers made sure that Minnesota included a lightly protected pick in what’s expected to be a loaded 2021 draft. This is the same type of advanced planning that helped the Warriors land Kevin Durant in free agency in July 2016.
Though all indications are that he’s on good terms with team management, league sources believe that Antetokounmpo would want out of Milwaukee if he loses confidence in the franchise’s ability to win championships. This is why the NBA shutdown could buoy the Warriors’ chances of landing their long-coveted Greek.
“One of the things when I talk to executives out there that they say is if Giannis extends with the Bucks this summer — which depending on who you talk to is either a slam dunk or a real question — the Bucks certainly feel like they have a great chance to extend him this summer,” Windhorst said on his ESPN podcast (h/t Real GM).
“If he signs that supermax extension this summer and all of the teams that are sort of saving, you know, keeping their ammo dry for 2021 may begin to make action. They tell me this summer’s star movement may be hinged on whether or not Giannis extends or not. If he extends, you’ll all of a sudden see more action.”
“One of the things when I talk to executives out there that they say is if Giannis extends with the Bucks this summer — which depending on who you talk to is either a slam dunk or a real question — the Bucks certainly feel like they have a great chance to extend him this summer,” Windhorst said on his ESPN podcast (h/t Real GM).
“If he signs that supermax extension this summer and all of the teams that are sort of saving, you know, keeping their ammo dry for 2021 may begin to make action. They tell me this summer’s star movement may be hinged on whether or not Giannis extends or not. If he extends, you’ll all of a sudden see more action.”
The Heat, among many other teams, are reportedly prepared to make a run at The Greek Freak, given the event he chooses to test free agency. Yet Adebayo won’t be the one persuading him to make the move: “At the end of the day, I can’t force a man to make that decision,” said Adebayo, according to Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun-Sentinel. “That’s going to be his decision, his family’s decision. I can’t persuade him to do that.”
The Heat All-Star knows people are going to play up this angle regardless: “I’m pretty sure people are going to run with that this summer and next summer,” Adebayo said of the common agent denominator. “In 2021, people are going to run with that. “But, at the end of the day, he takes care of me like he takes care of Giannis. And that’s just what you need in an agent. You want a guy that actually cares about everybody and not just some people who are doing better than others.”
The Heat, among many other teams, are reportedly prepared to make a run at The Greek Freak, given the event he chooses to test free agency. Yet Adebayo won’t be the one persuading him to make the move: “At the end of the day, I can’t force a man to make that decision,” said Adebayo, according to Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun-Sentinel. “That’s going to be his decision, his family’s decision. I can’t persuade him to do that.”
The Heat All-Star knows people are going to play up this angle regardless: “I’m pretty sure people are going to run with that this summer and next summer,” Adebayo said of the common agent denominator. “In 2021, people are going to run with that. “But, at the end of the day, he takes care of me like he takes care of Giannis. And that’s just what you need in an agent. You want a guy that actually cares about everybody and not just some people who are doing better than others.”
There’s little doubt that Giannis Antetokounmpo, reigning and likely repeat MVP, has every reason to stick around in Milwaukee over the long term. The Bucks have a sparkling new downtown arena and a state-of-the-art practice facility, a long way from the state of play when Antetokounmpo arrived—back then, the Bucks were in the mostly moribund Bradley Center and practiced on the grounds of a Catholic Diocese headquarters in St. Francis, a few miles south of Milwaukee.
As one general manager told Heavy.com, “It’s hard to imagine him leaving the situation he is in. It’s a longshot he leaves. They’ve been very confident all along that he will want to stay in Milwaukee. They’ve never acted like a team that was panicking to make things happen.”
The Bucks have made things very easy for Antetokounmpo to stay. According to several executives around the league, though, other teams do think they have a shot at prying him from Milwaukee and have made plans around a potential play for Antetokounmpo.
Given how well the Bucks are playing, every executive we spoke to expects Antetokounmpo to re-sign with Milwaukee. The Bucks are overwhelming favorites to reach the NBA Finals, and falling short of that bar looks to be the only thing that could put Milwaukee's MVP in play.
Thanasis, 27, is currently a little-used reserve on the Bucks, while Kostas, 22, is on a two-way contract with the Lakers. “I think that’d be amazing,” Giannis told USA Today. “Obviously we’d spend more time together. I’m 100 percent sure my mom would love that. But if we could end up on a team in Milwaukee, L.A. whatever, that’d be awesome.”
In an effort to keep their star in Milwaukee, the Bucks are expected to offer Giannis Antetokounmpo a supermax contract this summer. "Is he a client you could see staying with one team for his whole career?" asked Zervakis. "Yeah, I think so. Obviously everybody talks about his impending free agency, and I think everything is open," Saratsis said. "I think he's someone who could easily say, 'I'd like to be in Milwaukee my entire career.' I think he's also someone who, depending on how the team does, could say, 'I need a change.' But for him, staying is absolutely a viable option."
"I remember one of his first games at the BMO Harris Bradley Center, and it must not have even been 1/3 full," Saratsis said. He acknowledged Giannis probably missed out on some endorsement opportunities playing in one of the NBA's smaller markets, but he said that problem evaporated as Giannis became one of the NBA's best players. "He's not a local superstar, he's not a national superstar, he's a global superstar," Saratsis said.
"He came in as an 18-year old kid who didn't speak the language," Saratsis said. "If you think about it, he grew up and is growing up to be a man in the City of Milwaukee. I think he's always going to appreciate that." "Giannis believes in loyalty, he believes in the people who've been there with him from the beginning, and I think he feels that kinship to the city because they have really helped raise him," he said.
Miami has told teams that Tyler Herro is off limits, at least for now. The Heat hit big with the Herro/Duncan Robinson/Kendrick Nunn pickups, and Miami isn’t interested in any contracts that stretch beyond 2021 … when Giannis Antetokounmpo could be a free agent, and Pat Riley will have another chance to lure a transformational star to South Beach. Danillo Gallinari fits that mold, and Gallo’s three-point shooting would be a welcome addition to Miami’s frontcourt.
If the Mavs wait until 2021, they could have enough cap space to pursue a max free agent, depending on what the salary cap is. Plan A remains Giannis and Plan B could be Rudy Gobert. Even if Giannis and Gobert go elsewhere, the 2021 class still could include Gordon Hayward and Jrue Holiday.
On the NBA Africa League… Giannis: “I didn’t know much about it – it’s amazing! I heard about it earlier in the season and being able to watch games in Africa is amazing. We were able to play in the NBA Africa Game in 2015 and the people in Africa love basketball – there’s so much talent in Africa. I’ve spoken with Masai [Ujiri] and he’s going to do some big things – I’m sure he’s part of this league so I’m really excited to find out more things about it and hopefully we can play a regular season game in Africa as well.”
In truth, as Antetokounmpo shared with The Athletic, the two players took part in a jersey swap afterward (our Steve Berman reported from the Bucks locker room that Antetokounmpo had a signed Curry jersey with a note written inside the zero in his ‘30’). “Steph is a — he’s a fun dude,” he continued when asked how well he knew Curry. “I really don’t know him, know him, but whenever we’ve (played each other) he’s always come up to me, talked to me. It’s fun.”
It’s all fun fodder for the fans, too. But guess what? For the Warriors or any of the other 28 teams that would love to land “The Greek Freak,” none of it is likely to matter if Giannis and the Bucks stay on this same track. The combination of their winning, his play, and his constant praise of the organization’s functionality means subplots like these don’t need to be taken seriously just yet. That doesn’t mean the Bucks can afford to lose focus. It’s quite the contrary, in fact. Keep pushing toward the playoffs, and competing with the kind of relentless spirit that the 25-year-old seems to always employ and demand.
It’s cliche’, but also true: They will control what they can control. Sources say Bucks ownership and management remain very confident in the relationship they’ve built with Antetokounmpo and what that might mean for the possibility of a shared future, but they’re also well aware that the outcome of this postseason will be a major factor here. But the foundation is set – at least for now.
TMZ: "What was going through your mind when you saw Steph Curry trying to recruit Giannis?" Edens: "I think that they're just friends. A respect for the game ... I don't think Giannis plays video games (laughing). I don't know, but ... " TMZ: "Exactly. So he must be trying to recruit him for the Warriors, right?" Edens: "I don't know. No comment. No comment." TMZ: "Did you guys talk to Giannis afterwards, like, 'Hey Giannis, everything still good with us?'" Edens: "I don't think we need to. He's loyal." TMZ: "You're not worried about losing him to the Warriors when free agency hits?" Edens: "Life is good in Milwaukee right now. They're winning. I think everyone's happy."
Stephen Curry: Appreciate the laughs this morning
Eric Woodyard: Coach Mike Budenholzer on if Giannis’ free agency wears on team: “I don’t know maybe there’s more than I realize but he seems in a great place, the group’s in a great place and we’ll hopefully keep it rolling.” See full comment below.
Eric Woodyard: Coach Mike Budenholzer on if Giannis’ free agency wears on team: “I don’t know maybe there’s more than I realize but he seems in a great place, the group’s in a great place and we’ll hopefully keep it rolling.”
Khris Middleton on Giannis’ looming extension situation, and the question of whether they ever discuss his uncertain future… I mean, you’ve got to respect what he’s going to do at the end of the day. Of course I’ve talked to him and joke with him all the time that he can’t leave me here after I came back (last summer), but he respected my decision…
And…how does he react to such humor? Khris Middleton: He laughs. But I mean, we never talk about that, honestly. We don’t talk about that at all. We’re always focused on practice or gameplan or a game or watching film or something. For the most part, we respect our decision making, realize it’s not always about basketball, that it’s about family situations and what not. But we also, like I said man, we just really focus on basketball. We’re basketball junkies. Since we’ve been here, we’ve always been in the gym. Maybe not on the same (basket), but in the same gym working on two different ends and different parts of our game. I think that’s just our relationship. We’re basketball junkies.
Do you get caught up in that sort of chatter at all? I mean this week, we’ve got New York chatter, we’ve got other scenarios (being discussed)… (ESPN reported that Toronto is preserving its 2021 cap space in order to pursue Antetokounmpo, and league-wide rumblings persist that the Knicks want to convince Raptors president Masai Ujiri to head up their front office, in part, because of their belief that he could lure Antetokounmpo their way in free agency – if he ever gets there.) Marc Lasry: That’s great. Whether it sounds dumb or not, I’m very comfortable with the relationship that we have with everybody on this team. And I think at the end of the day, what players want is stable ownership. They want a culture which is focused on winning. They want a coach who they respect. They want to play in a city that they love. It’s what we all want. Let’s be serious. You just want consistency, and you want to know that what you’re being told is reality. So I think as long as we do what we’re supposed to do, everything is going to be fine.
The Raptors have Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka in the final seasons of their contracts, while Kyle Lowry expires in 2021. "I think for Toronto, they look at this season and then they look at the summer of 2021, when like a lot of teams, they want to be in the sweepstakes for Giannis Antetokounmpo," said Adrian Wojnarowski. "You're not going to see them do anything here that's going to compromise their salary cap flexibility for the following year."
The Knicks want to hire Jason Kidd to lure Giannis in free agency - Stephen A. | First Take
Could the Heat land another – the Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo or Pacers’ Victor Oladipo – in 2021 free agency? Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald: Miami wants to preserve max cap space that summer for a run at Giannis Antetokounmpo or, secondarily, a few other targets including Victor Oladipo.
Oh, and did I mention — there is one giant, long-armed Greek shadow looming over every decision this franchise makes. Sources say the Raptors are likely to be one of the chief pursuers of Giannis Antetokounmpo if and when he hits the 2021 free-agent market, so any moves that eliminate the possibility of max cap space that summer would be extremely unlikely.
“I want the Bucks to build a winning culture. So far, we have been doing great, and, if this lasts, there’s no other place I want to be. But if we’re underperforming in the NBA next year, deciding whether to sign becomes a lot more difficult.” The Athletic’s Joe Vardon followed up by asking Antetokounmpo specifically which words he feels were attributed to him incorrectly. “I’m not going to get into that,” Antetokounmpo said. “As I said, the last – what is it called – quote, paragraph, it’s words that I didn’t use. Underperforming or whether or deciding, all those words. I’ve never used in my life. “As I said, I’m not going to talk about it. There can be stories coming out. I said this, I said that. I said this. But I’m not going to get into it at all.”
Matt Velazquez: Giannis refuted the quote attributed to him in the Harvard Business School case study. Said his girlfriend asked him yesterday if he really said that. “If you kind of read the last quote, I’ve never used those words in my life,” he responded.
Giannis Antetokounmpo told a Harvard University professor that if the Milwaukee Bucks underperform this season, it would make his decision on whether to stick with the team "a lot more difficult." The unusually pointed language from the team's superstar came in a spring 2019 interview with Anita Elberse, a Harvard Business School professor who was researching a case study on the Bucks' turnaround and the challenges a small-market NBA team faces in retaining a superstar-level player.
Antetokounmpo, who has emerged as one of the best players in basketball, likely will be eligible to sign a five-year, $253 million contract extension with the Bucks next summer, or to opt out and potentially become a free agent in 2021. "I want the Bucks to build a winning culture," Elberse and her co-author, master's student Melcolm Ruffin, quoted Antetokounmpo as saying. "So far, we have been doing great, and, if this lasts, there's no other place I want to be. But if we're underperforming in the NBA next year, deciding whether to sign becomes a lot more difficult."
Bucks co-owner Jamie Dinan doesn't think Antetokounmpo was misquoted, but said that researchers needed conflict for the study to be successful as a teaching case. “I wasn’t in the room when (Antetokounmpo) said it,” Dinan said, “so I don’t know if they goaded him a little bit to kind of get some conflict.”
Antetokounmpo isn’t used to the adulation, and, of course, doesn’t want to entertain questions about what could happen two summers from now when he becomes an unrestricted free agent. “You know, the old tape players? I’ll just hit the rewind button,” he told Yahoo Sports about how he’ll handle the constant free-agent speculation, referring to his media-day comments when he quickly shot down any speculation about his future.
The Heat have paid close attention to the blockbuster free agency class of 2021 that could include Lebron James, Kawhi Leonard, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Paul George, sources said, which could keep the organization focused on keeping their salary books as clean as possible in the coming two seasons.
Antetokounmpo, 24, is eligible to sign a five-year, $253.75 million super max extension in the summer of 2020 with the Milwaukee Bucks, according to ESPN's Bobby Marks, which would be the largest in NBA history. This would apply even if Antetokounmpo fails to earn All-NBA honors this season, but his focus remains on team goals. "I feel like if you have a great team, and our goal is to win a championship and be the last team standing and get better each day, I think it's disrespectful towards my teammates talking about my free agency and what I'm going through," Antetokounmpo said. "So, when the time is right, we're all gonna talk about it. I don't think the time is right."
The NBA recently fined Bucks general manager Jon Horst $50,000 for violating league rules of discussing Antetokounmpo's supermax extension during a televised town hall event, so he stayed away from the topic Monday. During media day, however, he showed up in a great mood while touching on a range of topics, notably managing outside expectations, alongside Budenholzer, with the ultimate goal of a title in mind. What others say in the next 10 months surrounding Antetokounmpo is out of his control. "Internal expectations are what matter to us, and we've been saying this for over a year now," Horst said. "We believe it, we live it. We care about getting better everyday. We want to improve on what we did last year."
Matt Velazquez: Giannis on his contract: "I think it's disrespectful to my teammates to talk about my free agency and what I'm going to do." Said the goal is to be a great team, a championship-level team and that's where his focus is. He doesn't plan to talk about his contract situation.
Milwaukee Bucks Owner Wes Edens obviously isn't afraid of commitment ... because he just told our cameras he's ready to make a lifelong pact with his star, Giannis Antetokounmpo. "We want to be a part of his life for the rest of his basketball career."
This week, ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne mentioned it on the network. But not much of that chatter is coming from Milwaukee. “Keeping Giannis, it’s a focus obviously,” one Bucks front-office source told Heavy.com. “But fighting the Warriors is not a focus. The Warriors are not the concern in the least. They’d have a long way to go to get him to Golden State, they’d have to give away a lot. He has never given any indication that he wants to leave Milwaukee. So a lot of that stuff, it is more chatter than anything.”
The luring of Durant is cited as evidence that the Warriors can make just about anything happen but that was a much different scenario. Golden State had the benefit of a spike in the salary cap in the summer of 2016, which gave them the room to get Durant without giving up core pieces. And, the source mentioned, “What happened with Durant works both ways.” Durant won two championships with the Warriors. But he wasn’t very happy in his time there and wound up leaving for Brooklyn this summer. No doubt Antetokounmpo, who has expressed how happy he is in Milwaukee, has taken note of how things went for Durant when he made the move.
95.7 The Game: “The Warriors have always been the big threat to go after Giannis.” @ramonashelburne on the possibility of the #Warriors landing the Greek Freak in 2021.
Ramona Shelburne: "It would be a difficult construction to make happen, but that is the one looming threat. And it comes down to what kind of guy is Giannis. What does he want his legacy to be? Is he the guy who stays with one team his entire career and tries to bring a championship to Milwaukee or does he pull a Kevin Durant and go join a group of super friends?"
If the Knicks whiff on Durant and Leonard, they will use their cap space for one- and two-year deals, pending the player, according to sources. That is partly to keep cap flexibility for 2021 when Giannis Antetokounmpo becomes a free agent. Rozier would have to fall in the two-year contract category.
Antetokounmpo has consistently made public proclamations of his love for Milwaukee, as he grew up and became acclimated to American culture in Cream City after moving from Greece. Antetokounmpo adores the Bucks medical staff. His mother moved to Milwaukee. But he is all about winning. In more concrete terms, a source close to Antetokounmpo said that getting to the NBA Finals is not just an ambition, it could tip the scales as he weighs his contractual future.
It is just speculation right now, but one person asked me if I knew why Kidd was there and as I guessed at his relationship with LeBron James or his ability to tutor Lonzo Ball, the person familiar with the Lakers process said something else: that Kidd was brought to Los Angeles to attract Giannis Antetokounmpo to the Lakers when he becomes a free agent in two years when the Bucks star could become an unrestricted free agent.
Down the road, more obstacles loom. Antetokounmpo’s contract is up after 2020–21; “We think about it strategically every day,” says Horst. Other franchises can promise brighter glares, glitzier supporting casts. Horst hopes that by building a basketball culture akin to the Spurs’ and the Warriors’—inclusive, personal and “laser-focused on excellence”—the Bucks can re-sign him. (So far, Giannis has said he loves Milwaukee and shows little interest in, as Bud puts it, “all that bulls--- and fame.”)
Yet it’s likewise undeniably true that Steph and Giannis are buddies who are both represented by the same agency (Octagon) and share a mutual admiration that has resulted in Curry and Antetokounmpo selecting each other first overall with the No. 1 overall picks as captains in the first two All-Star drafts. I can promise you, furthermore, that the Warriors have internally mused about a run at Giannis — however futile it may prove to be — in the event they can’t convince Kevin Durant to re-sign this summer. Trying to sign the most attractive free agent available is on the first page of the Golden State owner Joe Lacob’s playbook.
If you watched the All-Star Game on Sunday, you saw it. Couldn’t miss it. And since these things start happening years out, through careful planning, it’s safe to start thinking about this now. Because you know the Warriors are thinking about this now. Giannis Antetokounmpo in 2021.
But when the Mavericks pulled the trigger and took Antetokounmpo, it didn’t take long for many NBA officials to figure out the Mavs’ rationale. “They’re looking down the road,’’ an NBA executive said a few days after the draft. “They (the Mavs) know Giannis will be a free agent in a couple of years and this was a way to interest him in Dallas.’’ When another NBA executive was queried earlier this season whether he believed the Mavericks drafted Kostas with Giannis in mind, he didn’t hesitate in responding. “Of course, they did,’’ he said succinctly.
The aforementioned official then claimed that Dallas’ decision to pick Antetokounmpo was driven by Mark Cuban, the Mavericks’ owner, and not the Mavs’ scouting department. “I actually thought it was a great move on Cuban’s part,’’ the source said. “With the last pick, they had nothing to lose, so why not take a flyer on (Kostas) and see if he can develop into a player and make an impression on Giannis.’’
In a report earlier this season by Alex Kennedy of HoopsHype, he quoted a former GM as saying, “There’s no way in hell that Giannis Antetokounmp is staying in Milwaukee for his second deal. I would bet everything that I own that Giannis leaves Milwaukee.’’ In that same report by Kennedy, two agents also strongly suggested Antetokounmpo will bolt Milwaukee at the end of his contract. An NBA official and an acquaintance of Antetokounmpo both told me in the last six months that they fully expect Antetokounmpo to eventually leave the Bucks and that several teams have already had preliminary internal discussions on how to land the Greek Freak. Both sources felt the Los Angeles Lakers would likely be Antetokoumpo’s likely landing spot.
While rival GMs speculate about Antetokounmpo's future and the pressure on the Bucks to keep him happy, Horst stays stubbornly fixated on the present. After all, Antetokounmpo is signed through 2021. "The truth is, it really isn't the biggest thing on our mind," Horst says. "The biggest thing on our mind is how do we take a step from last year to this year and continue to improve? And if we do all the right things along the way, and we take the appropriate steps … it will take care of itself."
Former GM: “The teams that try to get multiple max slots are in big markets like New York or Los Angeles. There’s no way in hell that Giannis Antetokounmpo is staying in Milwaukee for his second deal. I would bet everything I own that Giannis leaves Milwaukee.” Two of the agents interviewed for this article also predicted that Antetokounmpo would leave for a different market when it comes time for his next max-level deal.
Evan Flood: Giannis Antetokounmpo was asked on @TheHerd if he'd ever leave Milwaukee should the Lakers come calling: "Honestly, no way. My goal is to win in Milwaukee, bring a championship to the city. I would never leave for LA."
Is that roster good enough to keep up with Philly and Boston? Despite Kidd's revelation (via ESPN's Ramona Shelburne) that Antetokounmpo offered to try to save his job, Kidd's firing will cause no lingering rift between the Bucks and their star, sources close to him say. Nudging up against a hard ceiling every spring might.
To the Bucks’ delight, “all” includes a trait that tantalizes team officials as much as his 60 percent shooting from the field so far, or anything else the league’s hottest individual force does with a basketball in his hands: Antetokounmpo unabashedly loves Milwaukee. It’s a city that, despite a string of successful teams in the 1980s and a squad that fell one win short of the N.B.A. finals in 2001, has never fully shed its “unfashionable” label, which was affixed when the best player in Bucks history — Kareem Abdul-Jabbar — forced a trade to the perennially glamorous Los Angeles Lakers in 1975.
“I’m a low-profile guy,” he said. “I don’t like all these flashy cities like L.A. or Miami. I don’t know if I could be the same player if I played in those cities.”
Visitors to Milwaukee, however, quickly discover that it’s no exaggeration to describe Antetokounmpo’s future as the least of the Bucks’ concerns in their bid to become a credible contender for the first time in nearly two decades. It also doesn’t hurt that, by virtue of his speedy ascension to All-N.B.A. status and contention for other top individual honors, Antetokounmpo is on a course to be eligible for a so-called “supermax” contract extension from the Bucks via the league’s new Designated Player Exception during the 2020 off-season, which would put him in line for a new deal well in excess of $200 million.
Wojnarowski: It just shows how hard it is at that mid-size market. There are plenty of small-market owners and mid-size GMs who said, “We didn’t go far enough. I can’t keep guys.” Milwaukee is going to go through this with the Greek Freak. That day is coming, right?, where he’s going to look and say, “Where is this organization? What are they doing here?” You don’t think Giannis has been watching what went on there for the last several months, of what they allowed to go on with the front office? He’s watching it, and the clock has started. Everybody in the league is trying to figure out how they’re going to get him out of there. That has started.
Giannis Antetokounmpo: "Duncan and Kobe my role models. I see guys like Tim Duncan, Kobe, who’ve stayed in the same city and the same team for decades. I don’t like changes in my life. I believe that Milwaukee, as an organization but also as a city in general, can make you a better person as well as a better player. There’s not much to do there other than think about basketball and that’s what I need. I might go to the movies, out for a meal and that’s all. I always end up back in the arena again, where I like and love being. The closest place to my house is our coaching center. A two-minute drive. The best!"
Giannis Antetokounmpo: "I’m not interested in representing a bigger city, or a larger market, that for many people might be more important to the NBA. I want to achieve something similar to what – for example – Tim Duncan has done in San Antonio or Kobe in Los Angeles. To stay for many years, to succeed in Milwaukee and then for young guys that want to play with me to come here and all of us together to share the highest goals."
Q: You're eligible for a contract extension coming up. What are you expecting? By October, you could sign an extension with the Bucks. Giannis Antetokounmpo: "Hopefully. That was what everyone's been working for, for them to extend me. Hopefully, I stay here 20 years and I get my Greek Freak Day like Kobe [Bryant]."
Antetokounmpo will earn $3 million next season in the fourth and final year of his rookie contract, but it's no secret that he'll be in line for a massive raise in the 17/18 season. The Bucks can offer him an extension of up to five years starting in July, and based on this week's revised 17/18 cap projection of $107 million, Giannis could earn a first year max salary of up to $25 million. With max raises of 7.5% of the first year salary, a five-year deal from the Bucks could be worth approximately $144 million, thus locking in the Bucks' young star as early as July. Otherwise Giannis would become a restricted free agent in the summer of 2017, where the Bucks would have matching rights and other teams could offer up to four years, 4.5% raises and a total package of around $107 million.
