According to NBA insider Shams Charania, Giannis Antetokounmpo had requested a trade in secret with the Bucks’ front office months ago. Still, it never materialized because the Bucks were evaluating alternatives and were under no rush or pressure to make the decision soon behind closed doors.
“To put it plainly, Giannis Antetokounmpo has told the Bucks, I’m told, for a period of months now, that he believes the time has come to part ways,” said Charania during his latest appearance on ESPN’s NBA Countdown.
“And that has forced the Bucks to listen to teams, engage with teams, and remain in touch with teams on the eve of the trade deadline that includes Miami, Minnesota, and Golden State.”
“But at the end of the day, the general manager Jon Horst and the Bucks’ ownership have to sift through the offers and land on the same page about the question of whether to execute this trade now or to push it to the offseason.”
“Even tonight, just moments ago, I talked to sources around teams involved, and there are certainly questions about whether Milwaukee is serious and genuine about making a move of this magnitude for this franchise at the deadline.”
“There are obvious risks and rewards to doing the trade now as opposed to in the summer. But if they wait until the summer, Giannis has one year left, that means he’s on an expiring contract and has a lot more say so, a little more equity in terms of where he wants to end up and land.”
“And the other side is, Milwaukee is playing for a lottery position in the second half of the season. That is a direct conflict of goals for both sides and certainly a situation, even if it goes past the deadline, to monitor.”
Subsequently, Kendrick Perkins sat down with ESPN’s NBA Countdown and expressed that he felt like the Bucks are holding Giannis Antetokounmpo in a hostage situation and urged the Bucks’ star to force his way out of the team by publicly demanding a trade.
“Right now, this is on the Milwaukee Bucks. Somebody needs to actually call the police, hello! Order the man an investigation because they’re holding him hostage,” said Perkins.
“The only reason we’re having these reports right now is that Giannis is trying to be polite about this. He has gone to those people behind closed doors and let them know he wants to be traded. Why are they not making the move?” Perkins questioned.
“Because he’s not putting pressure on them. James Harden said trade me, I’m not showing up to another game unless you trade me,” explained NBA insider Windhorst.
“We’re talking about a Giannis Antetokounmpo that was drafted and said I want to win the MVP one day and a championship. Giannis actually cares about his legacy and cares about the way people think about him, and that organization knows that,” concluded Perkins.
In simple terms, Perkins is urging Antetokounmpo to pressure the front office by demanding a trade publicly if he wants to be traded before the deadline. Perkins has previously called out Antetokounmpo for being a coward as well, in terms of worrying about public perception.
Antetokounmpo also needs to evaluate his leverage in terms of dictating where he wants to go, considering that he’s about to be on a potentially expiring contract.
Therefore, in my opinion, unless a trade sends him immediately to a title-contending team and gives the Bucks enough assets to initiate a full rebuild, the Greek superstar and the front office should hold off on any rushed moves when a win for both sides is possible.
A public trade demand would only sour relationships at this point, and there is no need for that despite being a disgruntled MVP candidate. Reports have previously suggested that he doesn’t want his legacy to be equated to Kevin Durant’s ring-chasing narrative.
Hence, the best option for both sides, in my opinion, is to wait it out until the summer so that there is more clarity on the Bucks’ future, as well as Giannis gets a lot more leverage in terms of where he goes if he leaves the team.
