Giannis Antetokounmpo admits a move away from the Bucks could be inevitable

“Look, I hope it never happens, but I’m expecting it too. Just because you’ve given a lot to the team doesn’t mean the team won’t do what’s best for itself,” remarked the Greek Freak. “It’s not always the same owners. And when I say owners, the team presidents now, they’re not the same as when we won the championship. It’s someone else.”

The Bucks have no plans to part with a player who can still drive them toward a championship, yet the reality is that their title core has disappeared. Jrue Holiday, Khris Middleton, and Brook Lopez, who started alongside Giannis during the championship run, are gone, and the team has already worked under three different head coaches since then.

Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks in limbo

Antetokounmpo is closing in on his 31st birthday, and his style of play, driven by speed and pure athleticism, will be tough to sustain at this level in the coming years. The Bucks made matters worse by buying out Damian Lillard’s contract, leaving $22.5 million in dead cap for a player off the roster. To add to the setback, they gave up control of their first-round picks until 2031, making their future outlook even bleaker.

The Bucks find themselves stuck in a dead end, and their failure to return to the Eastern Conference Finals since their championship run shows that Giannis cannot carry the load by himself. That is why his remarks about the front office needing to make decisions for the good of the team carry even greater weight.

Dealing a two-time MVP in the middle of his prime, while his market value sits at its highest point, looks reasonable from today’s standpoint. It might not happen immediately, but it should not come as a surprise if it happens in the near future, because it is hard to see Antetokounmpo’s trade value ever exceeding what it is right now.