MORNING ROUNDUP
Antetokounmpo praises Lillard acquisition and says he wants to be a Buck ‘as long as we're winning'
Giannis Antetokounmpo praised the Milwaukee Bucks for showing a commitment to winning another championship by acquiring Damian Lillard but added that it still doesn’t make financial sense for him to sign a contract extension right now.
Antetokounmpo is eligible to sign a three-year extension totaling about $170 million, but he can make significantly more by waiting until next summer to do so. Antetokounmpo’s contract runs through the 2024-25 season, though he also has a player option for 2025-26.
Antetokounmpo had told The New York Times this summer that he wanted to make sure the Bucks were committed to winning another championship before deciding whether to sign his extension.
The Bucks have since added Lillard as part of a three-team trade in which they gave up two-time All-Star Jrue Holiday, guard Grayson Allen and plenty of draft capital. In Lillard and Antetokounmpo, the Bucks now have two of the 75 players selected on the NBA’s 75th anniversary team.
“Definitely I feel like the team has shown they’re committed to winning a championship,” Antetokounmpo said. “So I’m happy.”
So is Lillard, who had requested a trade from the Portland Trail Blazers because of his interest in competing for a title.
“I don’t think it’s a secret how much I want to win,” Lillard said. “That’s how we got here today. They want to win equally as bad as I do. I couldn’t be more excited. I couldn’t be more thankful for this opportunity, to be part of this organization, to play alongside the best player in the league.”
NUGGETS: Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets can see a path toward repeating as NBA champions. The Nuggets believe one of their biggest hurdles is guarding against complacency after winning the franchise’s first title by beating Miami. The NBA landscape has changed, too, after some recent deals involving big names. The Nuggets are hoping that point guard Jamal Murray can take another step and become an AllStar. They’re also counting on Jokic to be his usual triple-double self. He was the Finals MVP. The team will try to make up for the departure of Bruce Brown after the veteran leader left through free agency.
Chargers QB Justin Herbert not expected to miss time despite broken middle finger on left hand
Justin Herbert is not expected to miss any playing time despite having a broken middle finger on his non-throwing hand. The Los Angeles Chargers quarterback fractured the middle finger on his left hand late in the third quarter after it got caught in the helmet of Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby after being intercepted by Trevon Moehrig.
He wore a split on the hand during the fourth quarter.
LATE SUNDAY: Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs shook off a subpar performance during which they blew a 17-point lead, but held on to defeat the New York Jets 23-20. Mahomes was intercepted twice and struggled to get much going after a quick start with pop superstar Taylor Swift watching Travis Kelce and the Chiefs for the second straight game, this time from a suite at MetLife Stadium.