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Giannis Antetokounmpo just isn’t ignoring the stress on the Milwaukee Bucks going into the beginning of the 2024-25 NBA season.
Talking to The Athletic’s Sam Amick, the eight-time All-Star acknowledged he “would possibly get traded” if the Bucks do not win a title this season.
“Do you could have it at the back of your thoughts, like, ‘(What) if this 12 months does not go effectively?’ Yeah, if we do not win a championship, I’d get traded. Yeah, that is the job we stay. That is the world we’re dwelling in. It is everyone,” Antetokounmpo mentioned.
The Bucks are in a tough spot going into probably the most necessary seasons in franchise historical past. They’re spending $267.9 million between payroll and luxurious tax funds, third-most within the NBA behind the Phoenix Suns ($408.9 million) and Minnesota Timberwolves ($299.5 million).
They’re additionally one four teams over the second apron, that means they can not combination contracts for salary-matching in trades amongst different restrictions.
Because of their current trades for Jrue Vacation and Damian Lillard, the Bucks do not have a first-round draft pick till 2031. All of that is to recommend that the roster as at the moment constructed will probably be the one they roll with for your entire 2024-25 marketing campaign.
Vacation is not with the crew as a result of he was moved as a part of the package deal final offseason for Lillard to the Portland Path Blazers, who subsequently dealt him to the Boston Celtics.
That is not completely unhealthy as a result of they’re ranging from some extent with a possible MVP candidate (Antetokounmpo) and an All-Star guard who can rating at will (Lillard). Khris Middleton, Brook Lopez, Gary Trent Jr., Taurean Prince and Bobby Portis Jr. are excellent position gamers at this stage of their careers.
Middleton is the most important query mark outdoors of the 2 non-superstars after having offseason surgery on each of his ankles. It is unclear if he shall be prepared for the beginning of the common season after sitting out your entire preseason, together with Thursday’s recreation in opposition to the Dallas Mavericks.
One factor that ought to drastically profit the crew is continuity with the pinnacle coach. Doc Rivers is again for his first full season after being employed on Jan. 26 after Adrian Griffin was fired 43 video games into his tenure.
After all, the most important think about all of that is the well being of Antetokounmpo. The Bucks have misplaced within the first spherical of the playoffs in every of the previous two years largely as a result of he was both unable to play or was at lower than one hundred pc.
Antetokounmpo missed two video games in opposition to the Miami Warmth within the first spherical of the 2023 playoffs as a consequence of a again damage. He did not play in any respect within the first-round collection in opposition to the Indiana Pacers final season as a consequence of a calf damage.
Despite the fact that it sounds excessive to assume that Antetokounmpo—who remains to be under contract for 3 seasons plus a participant choice for 2027-28—may very well be coming into his last 12 months with the Bucks, the entrance workplace and possession could not wish to maintain spending as a lot as they’ve been for a crew that is not delivering ends in the playoffs.
They might most definitely look to do away with everybody else earlier than Antetokounmpo, however he would deliver again, by far, the most important commerce return of anybody on the roster if the group decides to enter a full rebuild.
Antetokounmpo and the Bucks will open the common season on the highway in opposition to the Philadelphia 76ers on Oct. 23.
