The Bucks are down 2-0 to the Pacers – again, so expect the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade rumors to ramp the hell up.
Weirdly, Indiana are Milwaukee’s kryptonite it seems, since the Bucks couldn’t get past them last playoffs either.
In the last seven playoff games Giannis has partcipated in, the Bucks have lost ALL SEVEN.
Is it time for Giannis to move on?
What Insiders Are Saying
Michael Pina of The Ringer believes that the two time MVP and one time Finals MVP will not be in Milwaukee past this season.
“Giannis is phenomenal, but there’s just so little juice around him,” Pina wrote. “There are only three teammates left from that 2021 title squad, and the Bucks have zero first-round picks in this year’s draft. The Bucks could run it back sans Brook Lopez next year, play Giannis more at the 5, reinvent their style of play, and hope Damian Lillard can stay healthy for a playoff run.
“But even if they have a lower payroll and some more flexibility heading into this summer, there are still so few ways for general manager Jon Horst to give the Bucks a balanced roster that can compete at the highest level on both ends.”
If they don’t make a deep run, Giannis is likely to be on the trading block, NBA insider Chris Haynes says.
“These 2025 Playoffs for the Milwaukee Bucks, it’s going to be pivotal. If they don’t get to the Finals, win the finals, or even make a deep run, you could probably see some wholesale changes going on in Milwaukee,” the NBA insider said in his recent appearance on The Dan Patrick Show.
“…I could see them going in a different direction [to Giannis], and I could see that going in a different direction if things go sour this postseason for sure,” Haynes added.
Which team would Giannis go to?
Before today’s loss, the New York Post reported that the Greek Freak enjoys New York, owns multiple businesses there, and is reportedly viewed by the Nets as a ‘prime target.’
Other landing spots include the Knicks, Spurs, Rockets, Thunder and Pelicans.
No doubt half the league would put in a bid if the Bucks did decide to shop him around.
Stay tuned.
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