Rumors surrounding Giannis Antetokounmpo haven’t stopped in recent days and truth to be told, it doesn’t seem like they will anytime soon. The back-to-back NBA MVP has been linked with several teams in recent days, with most experts claiming his time with Milwaukee is reaching its end by the day. The team needs to make the right moves to convince him to stay or try to manage his departure as smooth as possible.
That is exactly what ESPN’s NBA insider Brian Windhorst recently revealed when he said that the Bucks could work in a deal with Giannis to keep him for at least one season and then work his exit from the team without any problems.
During a recent edition of ESPN’s ‘The Jump,’ Windhorst talked about how complex the situation is for the player and the Bucks right now (0:40 mark).
“I already feel for the Milwaukee Bucks’ fans if he doesn’t sign this extension. Because it is going to be a day by day pressure fest.” said Brian, via Essentially Sports. “At the same time, if Giannis signs it, he trades away his options for no reason. Other than to be nice to the Bucks. So, is there a middle path here? Is there a negotiation that can be done?”
However, he did admit that there is something they could and that could be beneficial for both parties. He remembered how Paul George and the Oklahoma City Thunder managed his extension and the good deal they made when PG13 was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers last offseason.
“The Thunder were worried about Paul George leaving. So they said to him, ‘Look why don’t you sign a long-term extension here. You’re going to be with us. If for whatever reason you feel like you don’t want to be here anymore, we’ll work with you privately and quietly to trade you’. And a year into that extension, that’s exactly what happened. And they handled that trade clean and quiet as possible and both sides benefitted.”
Some analysts have started to worry about the possibility of the Bucks losing Giannis for nothing if they’re unable to compete in the upcoming season. The Greek Freak wants to win; he wants to stay in Wisconsin as long as possible but if the team doesn’t make any improvement in this campaign, it’ll be very hard for them to retain the superstar.
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Good thing for him is that he could sign a huge contract with the Bucks before leaving the team, but only time will tell how this whole situation ends.
