After 11 years of being loyal to the soil in Milwaukee, Giannis Antetokounmpo is reportedly open to the idea of continuing his basketball career outside of Cream City.
According to ESPN‘s Shams Charania, the two-time MVP has yet to make a decision on his future with the Bucks franchise following its third straight first-round playoff exit. But for the first time in his NBA career, Giannis is “open-minded” about exploring whether his best long-term fit is remaining in Milwaukee or somewhere else, the insider reports.
“Teams have approached the Bucks frequently over the years about the availability of Antetokounmpo as a normal exercise, and are expected to ramp up due diligence during combine week,” Charania added.
At 30-years-old, Antetokounmpo is coming off one of his best seasons after averaging 30.4 points, 11.9 rebounds and 6.5 assists on 60% from the field — the second straight time he’s put up 30-10-5 on 60% splits.
And despite his even more Herculean effort in the postseason, Milwaukee still lost in five games to the Indiana Pacers.
The Damian Lillard move unfortunately didn’t pan out for Giannis and the Bucks. And after suffering a ruptured Achilles in Game 4 of Milwaukee’s first round series, it doesn’t seem like things are moving in the right direction for the Greek Freak to capture ring No. 2 — something he’s made clear that he wants/needs on multiple occasions.
“Me not having a second championship — I look back at my career and everybody can say, ‘Oh, incredible career, active Hall of Famer, first ballot, whatever.’ But me, my personal goal, if I am not able to help my team win a second ring, I’m letting down myself,” Antetokounmpo said on his brother’s “Thanalysis Show” podcast.
The Bucks roster figures to be limited in 2025-26 due to financial constraints. We’ll see how both sides plan to move forward as the offseason continues.
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