5 reasons why Giannis Antetokounmpo will leave the Bucks
After winning it all in the 2020-21 NBA season, Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks have had it rough in the playoffs, where they have notably underperformed.
This has given rise to speculation that superstar Antetokounmpo might leave the team when the player option in his contract kicks in (after the 2024-25 season).
While the "Greek Freak" has yet to categorically say if he is leaving Milwaukee, there are many reasons why he might. Let's look at five of them.
5 reasons why Giannis Antetokounmpo could leave the Bucks
#1, A new challenge
When Giannis Antetokounmpo arrived in Milwaukee in 2013, the challenge was to change the fortunes of the team, including ending a 50-year NBA title drought.
His push started slow but when the team surrounded him with the required pieces things rapidly improved. It culminated in the 2020-21 season, when the Bucks won the NBA title.
With the ultimate goal achieved, the seven-time All-Star may now be thinking of seeking another challenge somewhere else. He actually hinted about it after winning the title, telling GQ in an interview, “What’s the next challenge? The next challenge might not be here.”
#2, Playing alongside other superstars
Giannis Antetokounmpo has been in the league for 10 years, and at this stage of his career, he may want to play alongside multiple superstars to lessen the burden on him.
He has been linked to teams like Miami, Portland, Dallas and Golden State, which are not bad destinations for that. It bears noting, however, that Antetokounmpo is not too much of a fan of forming super teams, but there is the possibility.
#3, Financial considerations
Giannis Antetokounmpo is in the middle of the five-year, $228-million supermax extension contract that he signed in 2020.
Moving forward, it is going to be difficult to predict if the Bucks are still in a position to pay such an amount of money while keeping the personnel to challenge for a championship.
This is in light of published reports that Milwaukee is ranked 15th by Forbes in the list of most valued teams in the NBA in 2023. The Bucks have a current value of $2.3 billion.
#4, Playing in a bigger market
With Milwaukee a small-market team, Antetokounmpo may want to go to a bigger one where his star and talent will be in the spotlight.
There are a lot of big-market teams that could use the two-time NBA MVP, foremost of which is the New York Knicks. The Knicks are long in search of signing a true marquee player to lead them. Antetokounmpo certainly fits that bill and his body of work is a testament to that.
#5, Win more NBA championships
After falling short in the playoffs over the past two years, Giannis Antetokounmpo might think his best chance for another championship lies elsewhere.
Last season’s playoffs were particularly tough. The Bucks fell in the opening round, despite being the top seed in the Eastern Conference.
While there is no denying that the "Greek Freak" loves playing for the Bucks, the thought of not being able to compete for NBA titles the way they want to may prompt him to seek better opportunities.