With an excruciating Milwaukee Bucks season over, Giannis Antetokounmpo was asked Sunday night about the one things that remains on everybody’s mind: Has he played his final game with the Bucks?
Here’s his answer:
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“That’s a very good question,” Antetokounmpo told reporters, per The Athletic. “I don’t know. It’s not up to me anymore. It’s not up to me. We’ll see.”
Thus, the saga in Milwaukee continues.
Antetokounmpo offered that answer following a 126-106 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers that concluded Milwaukee’s season and reportedly head coach Doc Rivers’ run with the team. The Bucks finished 32-50 and had long been forgotten in the Eastern Conference playoff picture.
Like the 14 games prior, Antetokounmpo did not play Sunday. Like in those games, Antetokounmpo insists he was healthy and wanted to play, but the Bucks would not let him.
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Giannis: Bucks’ stance on injury ‘disrespectful’
The Bucks, meanwhile, have insisted that he’s not been physically cleared to play after sustaining multiple injuries this season, including a hyperextension and bone bruise in his left knee. Antetokounmpo continued to dispute this and described Milwaukee’s stance as “disrespectful.”
That came after Antetokounmpo was asked how much control he believes he has in his situation with the Bucks.
“At this point? Zero, “Antetokounmpo said. “I didn’t have control. I was being cleared to play. I don’t understand.
“From my understanding, coming back to play — which I don’t think I ever had any return-to-play protocol — was I had to play three-on-three to be able to be available to play. I did that multiple times.
“I have never in my life denied participation [in] practice, which whoever says that — I don’t know who said that, who came up with that — that’s disrespectful toward what I’ve done for this team and the way I carry myself my whole career.”
Giannis Antetokounmpo said that his future with the Bucks is “not up to me.” He also declined to commit to signing a contract extension if one was offered.
(Patrick McDermott via Getty Images)
Does Giannis want to be traded?
Long before injuries stunted his season and limited him to 36 games, Antetokounmpo was linked to trade rumors. There was offseason chatter in October that the Bucks and Knicks had engaged in trade conversations and that Antetokounmpo was open to such a deal.
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Antetokounmpo downplayed those reports after a win over the Knicks on Oct. 28.
“I don’t remember that,” he said. “Right now, I’m here representing my team. And that’s it. We beat the Knicks. That’s all. Doesn’t really matter … I didn’t read that article. I try to stay away from all the rumors and, what you call it, speculation, trades and all this. It doesn’t concern me one bit. I try to involve myself [in my play] and I try to win games.”
That was generally Antetokounmpo’s public stance for much of the season as the Bucks continued to spiral and it made less and less sense for the former two-time MVP and Finals MVP to continue what’s left of his prime on a lottery-bound franchise.
But the trade deadline came and went without a deal. Tensions continued to mount with the losses, and at one point Antetokounmpo responded to boos from fans in Milwaukee with boos of his own in return.
Antetokounmpo’s frustration became more apparent as he continued to sit out games that he says he wanted to play. And per a report from ESPN’s Shams Charania last week, Antetokounmpo and his agent made clear to team management that he wanted out of Milwaukee as soon as the season started to spiral.
Will Giannis sign an extension if he’s offered one?
Antetokounmpo will be eligible for a contract extension in the offseason. Bucks owner Wes Edens confirmed the obvious to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne in March: “Either he will be extended or he’ll be traded.”
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The alternative is to allow Antetokounmpo to play out the final guaranteed year of his contract next season and potentially walk away the following summer for nothing in return. That’s not a tenable scenario for the Bucks, and Antetokounmpo doesn’t possess a no-trade clause to shut down a deal he doesn’t like.
So something has to give this offseason. And Antetokounmpo isn’t ready to commit to signing a supermax extension if the Bucks were to offer one.
“Oh, that’s too far away. It’s something I gotta sit down, see, talk with my family, see what’s best for me and what’s best for my family, for my career. If that’s the best scenario, I will definitely want to do that.
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“But before we even talk about an extension, somebody’s gotta offer me that. I haven’t been offered an extension, so that’s too far. You gotta take it a step at a time.”
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