The Milwaukee Bucks ended their season this week and the question that was automatically posed on Giannis Antetokounmpo: Is he leaving for a new team this offseason? The young superstar assured jumping out before his contract expires next year is not part of the plan. He is staying where he is.
Still, speculations are not expected to die down and teams will continue to line up in hopes that the Bucks will make a trade deal. Antetokounmpo is up for a max extension and there are suggestions two years of not reaching the NBA Finals will be enough for the 25-year old. He will attempt a move away.
Sure, the reigning MVP has declared that a transfer in the offseason "is not happening," and Antetokounmpo is optimistic that the Bucks will return a stronger team next season. However, NBA insider Tom Haberstroh is not buying what the NBA superstar is trying to sell.
The power forward is claiming he is happy with the Bucks and there is no way he'd want to win an NBA title with a different organization. The stance is admirable but per the report by Yahoo Sports, Haberstroh pointed to LeBron James and Kevin Durant - these two superstars insisted club loyalty is a priority but their later actions proved otherwise.
James bolted out of Cleveland win his first two NBA rings in Miami and left the Heat to score his third championship back with the Cavaliers. The King is now with the Lakers on another mission to take home his fourth Larry O'Brien.
Durant did the same thing. He moved to the Bay Area from OKC and reached the NBA Finals in three straight seasons. KD won two NBA titles and the same number of Finals MVP. He proved that his gambit paid off as first shown by James, and possibly Antetokounmpo would take the cue from the two superstars before him.
Truth be told, there is no stopping the Greek Freak from taking hold of his destiny. In other words, and as asserted by Haberstroh, Antetokounmpo can choose to move on from Milwaukee despite his assurance and the team will be left with no choice but to embrace life after the superstar.
In the event that the Bucks star makes the fateful decision, the Golden State Warriors are tipped to make the strongest case for Antetokounmpo to join up. The Dubs have the assets to trade for the Bucks to listen with intent and they can promise the one thing that will jolt Antetokounmpo into jumping - the promise of contending for NBA titles.
Before making their bid though, Fadeaway World has a word of advice for the Warriors. Ensure that in signing Antetokounmpo, the deal will not be for a few years of rent like what KD did. It's best of the team can extract a stronger commitment from the young superstar, said the report.
