Apr 25, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) warms up before game three of first round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Michael McLoone-Imagn Images Michael McLoone-Imagn Images

Skepticism Shadows Idea of Giannis Having Distraction-Free Year

Originally posted on Fastbreak on SI | By Justin Grasso | Last updated Oct 4, 2025 12:29 PM ET

The Milwaukee Bucks have got to be feeling the pressure from Giannis Antetokounmpo.

As the former MVP continues to reiterate his desire to contend for an NBA title once again, each comment feels like he’s placing a timer in front of the Bucks’ front office.

The Bucks made some changes in the offseason, waiving one of their previous star acquisitions (Damian Lillard) and bringing in one of the league’s top free agents in Myles Turner. Did they do enough to change their chances of competing for a championship? One NBA writer is skeptical.

“I don't think the Bucks are that good,” The Ringer’s Howard Beck said recently. “They're good enough, they’re a playoff team, but they're not a contender.”

If that’s truly the case, then the pressure is undoubtedly still on.

“Giannis Antetokounmpo keeps just saying … 'I want to win championships and I want to be where I can win championships.' I don't think that that's Milwaukee right now, as currently constructed.”

The Bucks haven’t missed the playoffs in nine years, but making the postseason simply isn’t good enough. Once Antetokounmpo got a taste of a championship in 2021, he’s been on the chase to get another ever since. Unfortunately, the Bucks have lost in the second round once and in the first round three times in a row since winning it all.

Last year, the Bucks picked up a first-round series against the Indiana Pacers. They came up short with a 4-1 loss. Heading into the offseason, many questioned Antetokounmpo’s future with the Bucks. Teams were reportedly preparing to offer a haul for the Greek Freak if he asked out, but nothing came to life.

Anteokounmpo isn’t in a rush to leave his first and only NBA home, but he’s clearly been applying pressure more than ever lately.

“If they struggle out of the gates and they're in a bad way in late December... Do I think that the entire league is going to be knocking down the Bucks’ door, like prying, seeing if he's available? I don't know that he's going to ask out in the middle of a season, but I just think that 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,” Beck added.

No matter how badly the Bucks want to keep themselves out of the trade rumor spotlight, the reality is this: If Milwaukee doesn’t look significantly better to begin their 2025-2026 campaign, they can expect to garner calls from all over.