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The Milwaukee Bucks enter the offseason in turmoil after a rough first-round exit and some injuries that could set them back in the near future.
Damian Lillard tore his Achilles, which could lead him to miss the entire 2025-26 season, meaning next season looks bleak for the Bucks and their superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Antetokounmpo could request a trade, given how bleak the situation looks based on the rumors. However, it seems likely the Bucks will do whatever it takes to keep him and try and build up the roster as a championship contender once again.
According to Marc Stein, the Bucks are making a clear pitch to Antetokounmpo based on current circumstances of the rest of the NBA.
“Word is that the Bucks are trying to build a good bit of their case for convincing Antetokounmpo to give them another shot to build a title team around him by loudly reminding him about the current state of the Eastern Conference,” Stein wrote. “Milwaukee has indeed been eliminated in Round 1 by Indiana in each of the past two springs … which can’t exactly be described as promising when the Pacers have a real shot to make their first trip to the NBA Finals since 2000."
With Jayson Tatum out with injury and the Celtics potentially blowing up the roster, along with the Cavaliers potentially making some big moves, the East could be wide open for the taking. The Bucks will still have to overcome the Pacers, who knocked them out in the first round this season and the previous season, as well as the rising Knicks, but neither feels like a long-term juggernaut.
The Bucks need to make massive changes to catch both of those teams, but if they use next season as a gap year and go all-in on what could be Giannis's final year on the team based on his contract.
The ultimate plan for the Bucks to keep Antetokounmpo around long-term could be to increase flexibility next season and make massive moves the following offseason to try and take as big of an advantage as possible of the Eastern Conference being weak.
It will be interesting to see what other rumors come out as the offseason progresses, mainly surrounding Damian Lillard. His injury changes the team's future greatly, which could mean he gets moved to clear cap space and increase flexibility.
For now, Antetokounmpo remains a Milwaukee Bucks, but without a concrete plan, that could change soon.
Former NBA Guard Blames Bucks' Damian Lillard For Giannis Antetokounmpo Trade Rumors
Bucks Believe That Only Doc Rivers Can Keep Giannis Antetokounmpo in Town: Report
Multiple NBA Agents Offer Unfortunate Prediction For Bucks, Giannis Antetokounmpo
For more news and notes on the Milwaukee Bucks, visit Milwaukee Bucks on SI.
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NBA punishes Cavaliers for Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley decisions
The Cleveland Cavaliers have been fined $100,000 by the NBA for violating the league’s Player Participation Policy. The Cavs committed the violation when they rested both Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley for the team’s game at the Miami Heat on Nov. 12. The Cavs won the contest 130-116 but sat their top two scorers for rest reasons. The Cavs had consecutive road games in Miami on Nov. 10 and Nov. 12, but then headed home to host the Toronto Raptors on Nov. 13. Both Mobley and Mitchell played in the Nov. 13 game, though Mobley only played 7 minutes in the game. The NBA introduced the Player Participation Policy for the 2023-24 season to curb the practice of healthy star players sitting out games for strictly rest reasons. Teams get fined $100,000 for a first violation, $250,000 for a second and then $1 million for each occurrence thereafter. Both Mitchell and Mobley qualify as “star” players under the league’s definition. The Brooklyn Nets, Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Clippers are among the teams that have also been fined for similar violations. Mitchell is averaging 30.9 points per game this season, and Mobley is averaging 18.9 points and 8.8 rebounds per game.
Islanders-Stars game ends with ejection, review and Patrick Roy screaming
The New York Islanders' 3-2 win over the Dallas Stars on Tuesday night ended with complete mayhem that included an ejection, Islanders coach Patrick Roy screaming and a replay review on what could have been a potential buzzer-beating game-tying goal. It is probably the most chaotic ending of the 2025-26 NHL season to date. Here's what happened. Mikko Rantanen ejected for hit that enraged Patrick Roy Things really started to pop off when Stars forward Mikko Rantanen was ejected for boarding Islanders defenseman Alexander Romanov with just 27 seconds remaining. Rantanen was assessed a match penalty for the hit, resulting in Roy screaming at him between the benches. Roy is no stranger to these sorts of altercations in his head-coaching career, and he has repeatedly gotten himself into verbal — and nearly physical — altercations with opponents. His first game as an NHL head coach with the Colorado Avalanche nearly resulted in him climbing over the glass to fight then-Anaheim Ducks head coach Bruce Boudreau. He has passion. But that was only the start of the crazy ending. Potential buzzer-beating game-tying goal overturned on replay review As the Islanders were attempting to cling to a one-goal lead, the Stars appeared to tie the game with a buzzer-beating goal that would have sent the game to overtime, completing a wild comeback that started with a goal just one minute earlier. The only problem: The goal was taken away when it was determined that Stars forward Jason Robertson interfered with goalie David Rittich. Robertson definitely makes contact with Rittich in the crease, and he is responsible for making every possible effort to avoid that. But it is also true that Islanders defenseman Ryan Pulock gives him a pretty good hit that sends him into the crease and into Rittich. The officials and NHL clearly did not think that was the cause of the interference and overturned the goal, securing the Islanders win. Goaltending interference can be a pretty subjective call. In this case, it did not favor the Stars.
CFP rankings: SEC in great shape after third reveal
The third College Football Playoff rankings of the 2025 season were released on Tuesday night with Ohio State, Indiana, Texas A M, Georgia and Texas Tech making up the top five. The Bulldogs and Red Raiders each move up one spot with Alabama falling down to 10th after a 23-21 loss to Oklahoma on Saturday. Ole Miss, Oregon, Oklahoma, Notre Dame and Alabama round out the top 10. The Big Ten and SEC continue their dominance by claiming eight of the top-10 spots, but the SEC looks to be in the best position of any league with five teams in the top 10, even with Alabama's second loss of the season. Alabama clings to playoff spot as SEC's outlook only grows stronger Here is a look at what the 12-team bracket would look like as of Tuesday: The biggest takeaway from this week's rankings is the position the SEC finds itself in. Texas A M, Georgia and Ole Miss appear to be in excellent shape, while Oklahoma and Alabama still find themselves in the projected field. Texas was the biggest loser, falling seven spots to No. 17 after its loss to Georgia. Even for Alabama, which suffered its second loss on Saturday, it could still find itself in the SEC Championship game depending on how everything plays out over the final two weeks, which could only strengthen its case even more. Miami remains the highest-ranked ACC team at No. 13, ahead of No. 16 Georgia Tech and No. 19 Virginia. With the five highest-ranked conference champions guaranteed to make the 12-team field, Miami would inherit the 11-seed as things currently stand. Following South Florida's loss to Navy, Tulane moves up to No. 24 and the 12th-seed as the highest-ranked Group of Five team. No. 11 BYU would be the first team out following the third reveal. There are two ranked matchups this weekend as No. 8 Oklahoma hosts No. 22 Missouri and No. 15 USC takes on No. 7 Oregon. With only two weeks of regular-season play remaining, time is running out to add quality wins to resumes, something each of these two games will certainly do. Assuming there are no more hiccups, the SEC has a realistic shot at getting five teams in the field. Week 12 presented an opportunity for other teams to move up, but after Texas A M completed its remarkable comeback over South Carolina and with Alabama remaining in the top 10, that does not bode well for the rest of the field.
Did Andy Reid throw Patrick Mahomes under the bus?
The Kansas City Chiefs haven't found much consistency this season. They lost their first two games of the year, then won five out of six. And just when it seemed that their offense was regaining its form from the early days of the dynasty, they regressed again. They've now dropped two games in a row to fall to 5-5, and their division-title aspirations may have already slipped through their fingers. Some of that has had to do with their lack of success in the running game. However, it's not because of head coach Andy Reid. Did Andy Reid take a subtle jab at Patrick Mahomes? In his weekly virtual media availability Monday, Reid stated that the Chiefs are still trying to run the ball. “We’re calling quite a few of the RPOs. Yesterday, they were giving us opportunities to throw the football, so we utilized the opportunities there, and those things ended up being as good as a run; we’re getting four-plus yards, and you go with it," Reid said. Then, he turned some heads with his follow-up comments, which some took as a subtle dig at quarterback Patrick Mahomes. "But the runs are being called; it’s just sometimes they get turned into passes in today’s world, you know, that’s how it goes," Reid continued. "But we are getting them in, and we have some hard runs where you just get up, line up, and go. Probably could call more of those.” Of course, that might not necessarily be a dig at his future Hall of Fame quarterback, but it's a testament to the disconnect within the team. The Chiefs have averaged 20 points per game in their last two games, all while rushing for 79 and 62 yards, respectively. Clearly, they will have to change that approach to salvage a season that has some fans thinking the dynasty is officially over.
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