The Milwaukee Bucks are on-pace to miss the NBA Playoffs for the first time since 2016, as the team’s momentum built around former MVP and Finals MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo has officially stalled. The team has no elite players outside Antetokounmpo, which has caused them to have a 29-41 record and likely miss the postseason entirely.
With their struggles this season and the 7.5-game deficit they have to the No. 10 seed, the franchise is reportedly not letting Giannis return to the court in order to maximize their draft positioning. Antetokounmpo, who’s averaged 27.6 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 5.4 assists this season while having a 17-19 record when on the court, doesn’t agree with sitting out the rest of the season when he believes he can play healthy basketball.
This standoff amid all the trade rumors that have swirled around Antetokounmpo this season seems to be indicating that we’re at an all-time worst point in the Giannis-Bucks relationship over the last 12 seasons. Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green weighed in on the latest episode of ‘The Draymond Green Show,’ breaking down the argument from both sides but ultimately taking Antetokounmpo’s side.
“The Bucks want Giannis to sit out for the rest of the year. The reports say Giannis isn’t interested. Quite honestly… I get why Milwaukee is trying to do this. For the same reason, 12-15 other NBA teams have completely thrown the top. That’s probably what you’re trying to do.”
“When you are a player, especially to the stature of Giannis, you don’t give a s— about the draft, really! I’m sure he wants to play. I’m also sure Giannis is sitting there thinking like, ‘If I’m healthy, we’ve probably got a chance…’ Cade goes down, that opens up an opportunity. I understand why Giannis doesn’t want to sit.”
“He hasn’t played a ton this year. You think back to the trade deadline and all that stuff. What happens next? Is this his last time in a Bucks uniform? You have to think about all that, and I understand why he doesn’t want to sit. If he can play and he’s healthy and he wants to play, he should play.”
The Bucks ownership has openly said that they’ll be trading Antetokounmpo in the summer if he refuses to sign a four-year, $275 million supermax extension, so we’re potentially already in the final few months of Giannis representing Milwaukee. If that is the case, it’d be a shame for him not to go out on the court and play winning basketball, as he clearly feels his knee is healthy enough to play out the season.
Antetokounmpo is good enough to single-handedly help the Bucks finish the season with over 35 wins, given their current 29-61 record with 12 games left in the season. That would mean the Bucks would likely lose favorable odds to the No. 12 seed Chicago Bulls, something the franchise is clearly trying to avoid by keeping Antetokounmpo off the court.
If Giannis plays and gets hurt now in a meaningless NBA game heading into a season with an expiring contract, the Bucks would lose all potential value they can gain from the 31-year-old star in a summer trade. They’ve already lost plenty of value due to their indecision regarding his future and their asking price for the franchise icon.
Players like Green will always side with someone like Antetokounmpo since they understand the competitive drive that’s led them to be high-level NBA players. Unfortunately, organizations approach the game differently, which is why a talent like Giannis is forced to sit on the sidelines and watch worse players play to intentionally be bad and lose games. That’s an anti-competitive mindset that someone like Antetokounmpo simply can’t, and won’t, follow.
