MEGA BUCKS
Milwaukee keeps Giannis with 5-year, $228M deal
Well, there goes that pipe dream. Giannis Antetokounmpo announced he’s signing a five-year extension with the Milwaukee Bucks, effectively removing the top player from the 2021 free-agent class. The “supermax” deal guarantees the Greek Freak $228 million with an opt-out clause after the fourth year, meaning he can’t hit free agency until 2025.
The Knicks are positioned to wield major cap space next summer, but the class is diminished. Antetokounmpo, LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Paul George, Jayson Tatum, Donovan Mitchell, Bam Adebayo and De’Aaron Fox all signed long-term deals in the offseason. Kawhi Leonard and Rudy Gobert are the best still on course for 2021 free agency, but neither seem a likely fit with the Knicks.
The Knicks new front office, led by Leon Rose and William Wesley, punted free agency in 2020 by spending only about half their cap space and declining to ink multi-year deals. It maintained flexibility for a future trade and preserved money for what was once a hyped 2021 class.
Now that class is a lot less star-studded. Toronto and Miami were also among the teams hoping to make a run at Antetokounmpo.
The Bucks are the big winners with their successful bid to re-sign the two-time reigning MVP. They’ve owned the league’s best record the last two seasons but disappointed in the playoffs, raising concerns that the small-market franchise would lose its star. But Milwaukee upgraded the roster by acquiring Jrue Holiday from the Pelicans and enters next season secure with Antetokounmpo and as the Eastern Conference favorite.
“I’m blessed to be a part of the Milwaukee Bucks for the next 5 years,” Antetokounmpo posted on his social media platform.
The 26-year-old had until Monday to sign the Bucks’ supermax extension offer. If he turned it down, he could have become a free agent after the upcoming season.
“This is my home, this is my city,” Antetokounmpo said in his post. “Let’s make these years count. The show goes on, let’s get it.”
His decision means the Bucks will hang on to their biggest superstar since Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who led Milwaukee to its lone NBA title in 1971 but demanded a trade and was dealt to the Lakers in 1975.
The Bucks paid a hefty price to revamp their roster this offseason in an attempt to persuade Antetokounmpo to stay. They dealt away guards Eric Bledsoe and George Hill, first-round draft pick R.J. Hampton and two more first-round selections as part of a package to acquire Holiday.
They also overhauled their bench by adding Bobby Portis, D.J. Augustin, Torrey Craig and Bryn Forbes. Antetokounmpo called those offseason moves “amazing” without indicating whether he planned to sign the extension.
“At the end of the day, the team is going to take care of what they’re going to do,” Antetokounmpo said last week. “Off the court, they tried to improve this team as much as possible. We’ve had the best regular-season team the last two years and that shows you that the team and the front office cares about improving the team every single year. Me, on the court, I’m going to try to improve individually and help my teammates improve, also.”