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New NBA Report Reveals Which Team Giannis Antetokounmpo Is Expected to Start Next Season On

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Ashish Mathur | Last updated Jun 13, 2025 12:32 PM ET

After the Milwaukee Bucks lost to the Indiana Pacers in the first round of this year's playoffs in five games, Shams Charania of ESPN reported that Giannis Antetokounmpo was open-minded about leaving the Bucks for the first time in his career.

Milwaukee has won only one postseason series since winning the 2021 championship against the Phoenix Suns in six games.

The Bucks may not be a title contender next season since Damian Lillard could miss the entire campaign recovering from his left Achilles tendon tear.

Many fans and pundits believe Antetokounmpo needs to leave Milwaukee to compete for another championship.

However, according to Brian Windhorst and Tim Bontemps of ESPN, Antetokounmpo is expected to start next season on the Bucks.

"A possibility is far from a certainty. And, as things stand today, the expectation is that Antetokounmpo will start next season as a Buck, sources told ESPN," Windhorst and Bontemps wrote. "To be clear, the emphasis is on today. There's still a lot of road to be walked this offseason, and it's hard to know exactly how everything will shake out."

The 30-year-old Antetokounmpo will make $54.1 million next season. The Bucks signed the superstar forward to a three-year, $175 million extension in October 2023.

Antetokounmpo made the All-NBA First Team this season. He averaged 30.4 points, 11.9 rebounds, 6.5 assists, 0.9 steals and 1.2 blocks while shooting 60.1% from the field and 61.7% from the free-throw line.

A two-time MVP, a one-time Finals MVP, a one-time Defensive Player of the Year and a nine-time All-Star, Antetokounmpo has career averages of 23.9 points, 9.9 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.2 blocks. He was named to the NBA's 75th Anniversary Team in 2022.

It will be intriguing to see if the Bucks make any trades this offseason to surround Antetokounmpo with more talent after Lillard's injury.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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