The Milwaukee Bucks are heading into the offseason with more uncertainties than resolutions after their loss to the Indiana Pacers in the first round of the playoffs.
Despite bouncing back from early season struggles, injuries once again overshadowed their postseason push, with Damian Lillard dealing with blood clots.
He returned for the playoffs but then suffered an Achilles injury, ending his participation in the series.
Now, attention is turning to the Bucks’ future and what this means for Giannis Antetokounmpo.
The star forward has been eliminated in the first round for three consecutive seasons, leading to speculation that he might request a trade in the offseason to pursue his prime elsewhere.
NBA insider Marc Stein weighed in on the situation, suggesting the Bucks would only consider trading Antetokounmpo if he explicitly asks for it.
“I don’t think Giannis himself does not want to go to the Bucks and say ‘trade me’. But next year there’s no way with Damian Lillard carrying a salary of nearly 60 million they don’t have control of their own first round pick till 2031, they don’t have a pathway to build a contender around him at this point,” Stein said on the All NBA podcast. “But the rumbles that you always hear are that just having Giannis is so important to them financially. They’re not going to trade him unless he pushes it.”
The Bucks have limited flexibility moving forward, making it difficult for them to build a championship contender with their current roster.
If Antetokounmpo recognizes this, there’s a possibility he could request a trade.
