Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo Gives Honest Take on His Future

The Milwaukee Bucks have struggled to compete in the Eastern Conference. So far this season, they sit 11th in the standings. Part of the reason they have faltered so far this season is that Giannis Antetokounmpo missed a few weeks with a calf injury.

Trade rumors have followed Antetokounmpo around since this past summer. There was also a report that Antetokounmpo was talking with his agent about his future in Milwaukee. So far, no move has been made to move him out of Milwaukee.

After a win against the Hornets, Antetokounmpo had a mini-rant about his future with the team and what needs to happen with the Bucks.

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Giannis Antetokounmpo Gives Honest Assessment on Future With Bucks

Antetokounmpo is determined to help the Bucks win games as long as he’s in Milwaukee.

“I love the 2 games we’ve played against Chicago and Charlotte. We have another one against Washington. We have a great month of very tough games that’s gonna either make us or break us.”

Antetokounmpo then started to address his future.

“As long as I’m here, as long as I’m healthy, I’m just going to keep helping the team and talking to them. Be vocal in the locker room, be vocal on the bus, plane, practice, film session, games, and try to make everybody believe that we gotta get out of this hole, and nobody’s going to make us feel comfortable.

The part that everyone will key on is that Antetokounmpo mentioned “as long as I’m here”, which indicates he might have an exit strategy in mind. For years, he never gave anyone any indication that he was even thinking about leaving Milwaukee.

It seems that the Bucks’ only hope of keeping Antetokounmpo past this season is to make a miraculous turnaround this year. They need to make the playoffs to have any shot of keeping him long-term.

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The Bucks Could Make a Desperate Trade

There is a chance that Milwaukee makes a desperate move at the trade deadline to keep Antetokounmpo happy. Right now, the Bucks have the eighth-worst offense in the NBA, so any trade would need to address that problem. They need a second reliable scorer next to Antetokounmpo.

There are limited options for the Bucks, but Jon Horst could make a big move. He knows that the team is at risk of losing its franchise player if it can’t bring in another player to help this team win more games. Teams are likely already calling about Antetokounmpo’s availability for this trade deadline.

Adding a new contributor could be the difference between the Bucks sneaking into the play-in at the end of the year and missing the playoffs for the first time in a decade. Antetokounmpo will be watching to see what the Bucks do at the deadline, and that will play a part in his future plans.

The Bucks need Antetokounmpo to stay healthy, as well.

Ryan Stano Ryan Stano covers the NBA for Heavy.com. He has been covering sports since 2017, covering the NFL, College Football, College Basketball, and the NBA. His work has been featured on Yahoo, Bleacher Report, FanSided, and Sports Illustrated. More about Ryan Stano