NBA insider: Bucks ‘not a contender’ despite Giannis Antetokounmpo

The Bucks have a new look — Myles Turner arrived in free agency’s biggest surprise, Kyle Kuzma came over at the deadline, and Kevin Porter Jr. is set to start at point guard.

But everything still revolves around Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Howard Beck of The Ringer isn’t convinced that’s enough.

“I don’t think the Bucks are that good,” Beck said on The Ringer NBA podcast, via HoopsHype. “They’re good enough, they’re a playoff team, but they’re not a contender. And Giannis keeps just saying… ‘I want to win championships and I want to be where I can win championships.’ I don’t think that’s Milwaukee right now, as currently constructed.”

Beck added that any early struggles could crank up speculation about Antetokounmpo’s future.

“If they struggle out of the gates and they’re in a bad way in late December, do I think the entire league is going to be knocking down the Bucks’ door, prying, seeing if he’s available?” Beck asked.

“I don’t know that he’s going to ask out in the middle of a season, but I just think any Bucks’ struggles are going to underscore the fact that he’s a free agent in two years and has made it very, very clear that he wants to contend while he’s still in his prime.”