The Milwaukee Bucks have a superstar player in Giannis Antetokounmpo. He is one of the best players in the NBA. When he’s healthy, he might be the single hardest player to stop in the league.
Anytime that an organization has a superstar, they are inevitably going to be afraid to lose him at some point. Superstars get antsy when they don’t win every year and they like to threaten to leave in order to enact change.
Feb 5, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) shoots during pregame warm ups against the Charlotte Hornets at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images
Antetokounmpo has said that he wants the Bucks to make moves to make the team competitive at all times. He said he will stay there as long as they are competing for titles.
Because of the angst the Bucks have, they have made several big trades over the years to satiate Antetokounmpo. They traded for Jrue Holiday, and that resulted in a title.
Then, they traded Holiday for Damian Lillard. At the trade deadline this year, they traded Khris Middleton for Kyle Kuzma and also traded for Kevin Porter Jr.
Are these moves going to be enough to keep Antetokounmp? Will he want to stay in Milwaukee, or will he be another foreign player who wants to play in a big market?
The Bucks made both of those this season because they think they fill needs. Bringing Kuzma in could not have happened at a better time because Antetokounmpo will be out through the All-Star break with a calf strain.
Kuzma can help share the offensive burden with Lillard. Milwaukee wanted to bring him in for injury insurance against both Antetokounmpo and Lillard.
The Bucks re-signed Antetokounmpo before last year to a deal that will kick in next season. It keeps him in Milwaukee until 2027-28.
That is true as long as he doesn’t request a trade, which is the only way that the Bucks would ever let him out of Milwaukee. They feel confident that these moves will be enough to keep him.
It seems that Antetokounmpo only really cares about being great at basketball. He’s not interested in a lot of off-the-court stuff.
He just wants to be great. The Bucks’ front office knows that, and they have done everything they can to surround him with greatness.
Antetokounmpo is averaging 31.8 points, 12.2 rebounds, and 5.9 assists per game this season.
