Arya News - The Bucks are expected to again listen to offers for Antetokounmpo in the offseason.
Giannis Antetokounmpo is reportedly staying with the Milwaukee Bucks — at least for the remainder of the season.
According to ESPN"s Shams Charania, the Bucks will keep Antetokounmpo with hours to go before Thursday"s deadline and focus on other deals.
Milwaukee is expected to also field offers for Antetokounmpo in the offseason, when teams have more clarity on their draft pick compensation and the market potentially widens as some contenders fall short in the playoffs.
"They were never serious," one team executive told Jake Fischer regarding an Antetokounmpo deal.
The reported news ends months of speculation that the two-time MVP and franchise stalwart wouldn"t finish the season with the Bucks team that drafted him. The Bucks are in the midst of a losing season and are not on pace to make the playoffs.
Antetokounmpo has twice missed time this season with significant calf injuries. He sustained his second injury on Jan. 23 in a 102-100 loss to the Denver Nuggets. Antetokounmpo said after that game that he expected to miss 4-6 weeks with the injury , and head coach Doc Rivers said there"s no timetable for his return. It"s unclear if or when he"ll be able to return this season to the Bucks, who would benefit by improving their odds for the draft lottery.
Speculation of Antetokounmpo eventually leaving the Bucks started before the season began. As the losses piled up, so did the tension in Milwaukee. After home fans booed the Bucks during a blowout loss to the Timberwolves on Jan 13, Antetokounmpo pointed two thumbs down and booed them back . He played four more games for the Bucks after that incident.
Yet, the franchise isn"t quite ready to end its most successful era since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Oscar Robertson led Milwaukee to two Finals appearances and an NBA championship in the early 1970s.
The Bucks selected Antetokounmpo with the No. 15 pick in the 2013 NBA Draft as a raw, high-upside prospect with an enormous physical tool set. He"s delivered on that upside and more.
Antetokounmpo spent his rookie season developing off the bench as a 19-year-old before joining the starting lineup full time in his second NBA season. He made his first All-Star team in his fourth season in Milwaukee and has been an All-Star in eight seasons since as a dominant two-way force.
Antetokounmpo won the first of his two consecutive NBA MVP awards after the 2018-19 season. He also won Defensive Player of the Year alongside his second MVP award the following season.
In 2020-21, Antetokounmpo completed his NBA resumé. Playing alongside Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday, Antetokounmpo led the Bucks to the franchise"s second NBA championship. The only major accomplishment now missing from his career as a pro is entry into the Hall of Fame, which is a certainty as soon as he"s put on the ballot.
But he likely won"t complete his career having played for just the Bucks. Milwaukee didn"t maintain its contender status after winning the 2021 championship and hasn"t advanced past the second round of the playoffs since. It"s suffered first-round playoff exits in each of the past three postseasons.
Middleton and Holiday are both gone, and Milwaukee"s attempts to rebuild another contender around Antetokounmpo fizzled with Damian Lillard"s Achilles tendon tear last season.
The Bucks exceeded expectations early this season with a 6-3 start. They have since faded out of playoff contention with a losing record. A full-blown rebuild, however, will have to wait until the offseason.
Antetokounmpo is playing on a three-year, $186 million contract extension he signed in 2023 in the aftermath of Milwaukee"s trade to acquire Lillard . That extension includes a player option for the 2027-28 season.