The Milwaukee Bucks won’t look to trade superstar forward Giannis Antetokounmpo even if he passes on a supermax contract extension, according to Tim Bontemps of ESPN.
Antetokounmpo recently said he is not looking to move on from the Bucks despite another disappointing playoff finish. The Bucks have finished with the best regular-season record in each of the past two seasons, and Antetokounmkpo has been league MVP both years. He was also named Defensive Player of the Year for 2019-20.
Bontemps reported that “multiple sources have emphatically said Milwaukee will not look to trade [him].”
Antetokounmpo missed the season’s final game, a loss to the Miami Heat in Game 5 of the East semifinals, with a bum ankle — but told Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports that he intends to stick with the Bucks and see how things play out from here.
“If winning a championship was easy, everyone would have one,” Antetokounmpo told Haynes. “We lost. Everyone saw that we lost. It’s disappointing, but what are we going to do? We’re going to keep working. I’ve got confidence in my teammates.”
Antetokounmpo is eligible to be an unrestricted free agent at the end of next season. That has led to speculation that Bucks GM Jon Horst will try to shake up the roster. One report even suggested the Bucks may explore a trade for Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Chris Paul.
It has also led to speculation that Antetokounmpo may seek a trade.
“That’s not happening,” he stressed to Haynes. “Some see a wall and go in [another direction]. I plow through it. We just have to get better as a team, individually and get right back at it next season.”
Apparently, no matter what happens next, the Bucks won’t look to trade him, either.
