Insider suggests Bucks sale connected to uncertainty on Giannis Antetokounmpo's future
On ESPN's "Get Up," NBA insider Brian Windhorst speculated that former Milwaukee Bucks co-owner Marc Lasry sold his share of the team to Jimmy and Dee Haslam earlier this year because of potential changes with the team roster in the next two seasons.
Cue his funny "conspiracy theory" meme.
Most attention on this clip has been and will be focused on speculation about Giannis Antetokounmpo's future, and why not? If there are legitimate rumblings that Giannis won't re-up with the Bucks, there's a tantalizing opportunity for any team to sign the two-time league MVP, former Defensive Player of the Year and arguably best player in the NBA.
However, it's interesting that Windhorst connected Lasry's decision to sell his stake in the team to impending free-agency decisions. For starters, he's not the first reporter to speculate a connection, as Eric Nehm noted for The Athletic after the league approved the sale:
In the past five years, Bucks ownership has been adamant that they will pay the luxury tax for a contending team, but that bill has never been as large as the one they might pay next season. Does adding Haslam to the ownership group change that stance in any meaningful way?
Going further, the valuations of major pro sports franchises continue to balloon to astronomical levels. Lasry and Wes Edens bought the Bucks for $550 million in 2014, oversaw the development of the team's new arena Fiserv Forum and celebrated winning the team's first championship in 50 years in 2021. That Lasry's 25% stake sold for over six times what the team was bought for outright is a testament to what the Bucks have built over the last decade.
If Lasry's sale was connected to the current roster and the luxury tax changes from the collective bargaining agreement extension, that seems a bit shortsighted despite those legit concerns in these next few years.
Regardless of market size, all NBA teams share TV revenues that are used to pay players and other personnel. Even with the potential belt tightening for a few teams from the new CBA, it'll take far more to bring down overall team valuations. Lasry sold high, and the Haslams will reap the revenues in the league's upcoming TV deals that will continue to increase team valuations.
Whether he's completely right, wrong or a mix of both, credit to Windhorst for providing a bit of NBA conspiracy fun.
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