Bucks make moves to entice Giannis to stay
The mood of the Bucks’ fan base bordered on jubilant in the early hours of Tuesday morning. Less than 14 hours after the NBA lifted its moratorium on trades, the Bucks had landed an impressive 1-2 punch of blockbuster trades to acquire Jrue Holiday from the Pelicans and Bogdan Bogdanovic from the Kings.
Those haymakers signaled Milwaukee’s intentions for 2020-21 – they’re all-in. The war chest is essentially empty and the time to win is now.
Now, all eyes turn to two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, who is eligible to sign a supermax extension this offseason worth upward of $220 million over five seasons. He is undoubtedly aware of the Bucks’ moves and was likely involved in the process of identifying Holiday and Bogdanovic as two ideal fits around him in the starting lineup.
By sending out Eric Bledsoe, George Hill, Donte DiVincenzo, D.J. Wilson, Ersan Ilyasova, three first-round picks – including unprotected first-rounders in 2025 and 2027 – and two pick swaps, the Bucks have stripped themselves of future assets to win now and persuade Antetokounmpo to stay for the foreseeable future.
Getting Holiday and Bogdanovic at the price they paid – especially dealing unprotected first-round picks five and seven years in the future – seems to indicate the Bucks think Antetokounmpo will re-sign. This offseason, Milwaukee has demonstrated a clear commitment to building a top-flight starting unit that can win now and into the future.
Now, Antetokounmpo’s on the clock and eligible to sign between Nov. 22 and Dec. 21. When the season starts, an unsigned supermax extension would get shelved until next summer.
Do these deals mean Antetokounmpo will indeed sign on the dotted line and stay with the Bucks? Forgive me for bringing an umbrella to the parade, but even if all signs point to Antetokounmpo signing, he still might not do so. At least not right away.
Antetokounmpo holds all the leverage and is under no obligation to reward Milwaukee’s transactions with a commitment. As loyal as he is, the NBA is still a business and committing now may not be in his best interests. There’s a strong argument it may be more prudent for Antetokounmpo to play out the season and see how the moves work in practice rather than on paper.
Whether or not Antetokounmpo signs the extension before the Dec. 22 start of the season, the Bucks didn’t have any choice but to go all-in now.
When you have a 25-year-old, twotime MVP still entering his prime, you have to do everything possible in order to keep him.
If Antetokounmpo leaves, young players and future draft picks don’t really matter anyway.
More than anyone or anything else, Antetokounmpo is the future. He is the cornerstone upon which the entire franchise is built. Even with all the excitement surrounding the recent trades, everything still revolves around him.
The Bucks have made their big moves. Now, the ball’s in Antetokounmpo’s court.