It was another ugly exit from the playoffs for the Milwaukee Bucks, another short postseason trip pocked by injury and controversy–this time, with the Bucks kicking away an overtime win on a careless turnover from Gary Trent Jr., the shooter who had pretty much kept their season alive with a late-game flurry of 3-pointers.
That paved the way to a Game 5 loss to the Pacers in Indiana, meaning the Bucks are going home early for the second straight year. This season, it was, in part, because of injuries to Damian Lillard. Last year, it was Giannis Antetokounmpo.
That brings into question what, exactly, the Bucks will do from here. They have Antetokounmpo under contract for three years, though the third year is a player option. With only two years of team control remaining, this summer may be the time for Antetokounmpo to begin agitating for a trade out of Milwaukee–if he wants one, which he has said he does not.
Still, with Antetokounmpo in his prime at 30 years old, and with the rest of the Bucks roster either injured (Lillard), old (Brook Lopez) or ineffective (Kyle Kuzma), there are suggestions that perhaps the Bucks should be proactive in seeking a deal for Antetokounmpo.
Yes, perhaps the Bucks should approach Antetokounmpo about a trade before he approaches them. It would, certainly, maximize their return as they seek to build back.
“It’s hard to imagine them wanting to be the ones putting him on the market,” one Eastern Conference executive said. “But it is probably the right thing. They’ve got no assets beyond him. They’ve got nothing to offer and nothing else that you can use to build around him. In these situations, and you saw it with Lillard and Portland, with Jimmy Butler in Miami, you wait too long to trade a guy and things fall apart and you get pennies on the dollar.
“If you get ahead of it, you can do all your rebuilding at once. They could do that with Giannis.”
Antetokounmpo, even in five hopeless games against the Pacers, averaged 33.0 points, 15.4 rebounds and 6.6 assists, while shooting 60.6% from the field.
Fans certainly recognized that a dominant force like that was a bit out of place with a Bucks rotation that centered on Trent, Bobby Portis and Kevin Porter Jr. (It is worth noting, though, that the exec also said, “It’s a lot easier to tell anotehr team to trade their star than it is to make the decision to do it yourself.”)
Sirius XM NBA Radio host Rob Perez wrote on Twitter/X, “If THAT is how i just watched Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Bucks career end I demand to speak to a manager.”
Another X account noted, “Very likely that today is Giannis Antetokounmpo’s last game as a Milwaukee Buck.”
A post from the Draft Kings Network, added, “After another first-round exit, is it time for a fresh start for the Greek Freak @keagreport takes a look at some potential trade destinations for Giannis Antetokounmpo.”
As as radio station 93.7 The Ticket contemplated, “The future is looking dim for the #MilwaukeeBucks. Is their championship contender ‘window’ coming to close? Will Giannis Antetokounmpo request a trade in the near future? #NBA“
The future is looking dim for the #MilwaukeeBucks. Is their championship contender “window” coming to close? Will Giannis Antetokounmpo request a trade in the near future? #NBA
w/@DontPunt_15 and @Harrison24apic.twitter.com/xgGapjW1P1
— 93.7 The Ticket (@937TheTicket) April 29, 2025
It was another ugly exit from the playoffs for the Milwaukee Bucks, another short postseason trip pocked by injury and controversy–this time, with the Bucks kicking away an overtime win on a careless turnover from Gary Trent Jr., the shooter who had pretty much kept their season alive with a late-game flurry of 3-pointers.
That paved the way to a Game 5 loss to the Pacers in Indiana, meaning the Bucks are going home early for the second straight year. This season, it was, in part, because of injuries to Damian Lillard. Last year, it was Giannis Antetokounmpo.
That brings into question what, exactly, the Bucks will do from here. They have Antetokounmpo under contract for three years, though the third year is a player option. With only two years of team control remaining, this summer may be the time for Antetokounmpo to begin agitating for a trade out of Milwaukee–if he wants one, which he has said he does not.
Still, with Antetokounmpo in his prime at 30 years old, and with the rest of the Bucks roster either injured (Lillard), old (Brook Lopez) or ineffective (Kyle Kuzma), there are suggestions that perhaps the Bucks should be proactive in seeking a deal for Antetokounmpo.
Yes, perhaps the Bucks should approach Antetokounmpo about a trade before he approaches them. It would, certainly, maximize their return as they seek to build back.
“It’s hard to imagine them wanting to be the ones putting him on the market,” one Eastern Conference executive said. “But it is probably the right thing. They’ve got no assets beyond him. They’ve got nothing to offer and nothing else that you can use to build around him. In these situations, and you saw it with Lillard and Portland, with Jimmy Butler in Miami, you wait too long to trade a guy and things fall apart and you get pennies on the dollar.
“If you get ahead of it, you can do all your rebuilding at once. They could do that with Giannis.”
Antetokounmpo, even in five hopeless games against the Pacers, averaged 33.0 points, 15.4 rebounds and 6.6 assists, while shooting 60.6% from the field.
Fans certainly recognized that a dominant force like that was a bit out of place with a Bucks rotation that centered on Trent, Bobby Portis and Kevin Porter Jr. (It is worth noting, though, that the exec also said, “It’s a lot easier to tell anotehr team to trade their star than it is to make the decision to do it yourself.”)
Sirius XM NBA Radio host Rob Perez wrote on Twitter/X, “If THAT is how i just watched Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Bucks career end I demand to speak to a manager.”
Another X account noted, “Very likely that today is Giannis Antetokounmpo’s last game as a Milwaukee Buck.”
A post from the Draft Kings Network, added, “After another first-round exit, is it time for a fresh start for the Greek Freak @keagreport takes a look at some potential trade destinations for Giannis Antetokounmpo.”
As as radio station 93.7 The Ticket contemplated, “The future is looking dim for the #MilwaukeeBucks. Is their championship contender ‘window’ coming to close? Will Giannis Antetokounmpo request a trade in the near future? #NBA“
The future is looking dim for the #MilwaukeeBucks. Is their championship contender “window” coming to close? Will Giannis Antetokounmpo request a trade in the near future? #NBA
w/@DontPunt_15 and @Harrison24apic.twitter.com/xgGapjW1P1
— 93.7 The Ticket (@937TheTicket) April 29, 2025
