Giannis Antetokounmpo has been the face of the Milwaukee Bucks and possibly all of Milwaukee sports for a while now.
In just the last four seasons, he has won two regular season MVP awards, one Defensive Player of the Year award, and one NBA Finals MVP award while leading the Bucks to their first world championship in 50 years.
Just prior to the 2020-21 season, the season the Bucks won it all, Antetokounmpo re-signed with them for five years and $228 million instead of leaving to form a superteam, a la LeBron James and Kevin Durant.
Although he seems very content to be playing in Milwaukee, he recently said that there’s a chance he may someday decide to head a couple of hours south and join the Chicago Bulls.
GIANNIS on the BULLS
“It's a no-brainer, everybody would love to play for Chicago. Down the line, you never know. Maybe I play for Chicago but right now I am committed to Milwaukee."
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) August 15, 2022
“It’s a no-brainer, everybody would love to play for Chicago. Down the line, you never know. Maybe I play for Chicago but right now I am committed to Milwaukee.”
Is this something that could really happen?
The Bucks Are Currently Stacked
Although many seem to be in love with the potential of the Boston Celtics, the defending Eastern Conference champions, one couldn’t exactly go wrong with picking Milwaukee to return to the NBA Finals next summer.
Current odds to win the NBA Finals @BetMGM 🏆
+450: Celtics
+600: Warriors, Bucks
+700: Clippers
+1000: Suns
+1200: 76ers
+1400: Lakers, Heat
+1600: Nets, Nuggets
+2000: Grizzlies
+2200: Mavs
+3000: Raptors
+3500: Timberwolves
+4000: Bulls, Pelicans
+5000: Hawks
+6600: Knicks pic.twitter.com/C5qrUIgBJR— NBABet (@nbabet) August 15, 2022
With apologies to two-time reigning MVP Nikola Jokic, Antetokounmpo is probably the best player in the world right now, and he continues to have an impressive team around him.
Khris Middleton, the Bucks’ second-best player, is a borderline All-Star, and his injury in the playoffs this spring was just enough to push Boston over them in seven games in the second round of the playoffs.
Middleton is a man who can go off and get multiple buckets in crunch time, as he did during the Bucks’ title run in 2021.
Jrue Holiday isn’t just a reliable scorer and facilitator at point guard, but he is also one of the league’s best defenders at his position.
Off the bench, Milwaukee still has Bobby Portis, Pat Connaughton, Serge Ibaka and George Hill, as well as Joe Ingles, a veteran forward it signed as a free agent this offseason.
Ingles is known as a sharp 3-point shooter who can also facilitate off the bench.
But there may be one thing that could push Antetokounmpo out of the Badger State in the future.
The Bucks Aren’t A Young Team
Middleton is 31, Holiday is 32, Ibaka is about to turn 33, Ingles will turn 35 in early October, and center Brook Lopez is 34.
The Bucks are obviously in win-now mode, but the age of their key contributors outside of Antetokounmpo will prevent them from becoming a dynasty.
Just a few years from now, as the Greek Freak’s contract nears its expiration, Milwaukee will need to retool.
He is such a special player that he may need to win three, four, or even five rings to validate his greatness, and if the Bucks can’t give him that opportunity, he may have to go elsewhere to conclude his career the way he feels he needs to.
Antetokounmpo’s contract runs through the 2025-26 season, and that year will be a player option year for him.
He will turn 31 that season, and barring a major injury, he should still have at least a few great years left in him at that point.
The Bulls currently have a young and promising team centered around Zach LaVine, who is around the same age as Antetokounmpo, and if they remain a playoff team for several more years, Antetokounmpo could be the perfect final piece for them.
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