The Milwaukee Bucks might have their defining franchise icon on the roster right now. While Kareem Abdul-Jabbar brought them their first championship, Giannis Antetokounmpo brought them their second and might just retire as a one-team man, unlike Kareem. At least, that’s what he intends to do.
In a conversation with Eurohoops, Giannis revealed that he doesn’t intend on ever asking out of Milwaukee and if the team wants to move on, they’ll have to forcefully trade him away.
“I don’t think that I would ever text (and ask for a trade), I am not this kind of guy, they would have to kick me out.”
After the hosts posited a scenario where Giannis suddenly gets traded to the Detroit Pistons, Giannis joked about Luka Doncic at least getting traded to LA.
“At least Luka went from Dallas to L.A., why you are sending me to Detroit?”
Giannis also said in the event of a trade, he’d just stay professional and move on with the situation.
“NBA is business, if I got traded I would inform my family and would do my job.”
The Bucks trading away Antetokounmpo without him asking out would be insane. After Stephen Curry – Giannis and Nikola Jokic are the bastions of modern one-team legends in the NBA.
The situation for Giannis is even more remarkable as Milwaukee is one of the smaller TV markets in the NBA, and he led them to a title while winning multiple MVPs and a DPOY in the process. He’s the team’s all-time leading scorer and arguably already their franchise’s greatest player given his contributions have lasted longer than Kareem’s.
Antetokounmpo is having another sensational season on the court, averaging 31.8 points, 12.2 rebounds, and 5.9 assists while trying to ensure the Bucks remain contenders in the East.
The 2021 Championship squad has had multiple key departures already, so it’d be interesting to see if Giannis can repeat his heroics with Damian Lillard and Kyle Kuzma as his co-stars instead of Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton.
The Bucks Should Never Trade Giannis
Unless Giannis asks out, it makes absolutely no sense for the Bucks to trade him away without telling him. The Luka Doncic situation was unique given there was clear disdain toward him from a GM who didn’t respect his habits and an owner who completely agreed with that evaluation.
Giannis has proven he’s one of the hardest workers in the NBA over his career, actively working on his frame and skillset to become virtually unrecognizable to the 18-year-old the Bucks drafted in 2013. The organization doesn’t question his work ethic like the Mavs did Luka’s.
There are availability problems with Giannis, who has gotten hurt during every Bucks Playoff run after the 2021 title triumph. The team is heavily reliant on him on both ends of the court, so his durability remains questionable while he’s carrying this load. But if he is healthy, we know Giannis can do virtually everything on the court for a title-caliber squad.
He’s a franchise legend and single-handedly brought them to relevance in the 2000s with his league-breaking performances. Some franchise legends should always be honored and kept on the squad, with Giannis being one of them.
Thank you for being a valued reader of Fadeaway World. If you liked this article, please consider following us on Google News. We appreciate your support.
