In a move to solidify Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s desire to stay with the Bucks, the franchise is re-signing his brother, Thanasis Antetokounmpo, on a guaranteed one-year, $2.9MM contract, ESPN’s Shams Charania reports (Twitter link).
The signing is official, according to a team press release relayed by The Athletic’s Eric Nehm (Twitter link).
According to Charania, after a summer of exploring options, Giannis Antetokounmpo — who is currently playing for Greece in the EuroBasket tournament — is staying in Milwaukee to start the season. This will quell speculation that the superstar might request a trade this offseason.
Naturally, if things don’t go well for the Bucks as the season progresses, that could always change. But having his brother back in the fold gives Giannis some added incentive to stay put.
Thanasis is also playing for Greece in the tournament. He was medically cleared to play again this spring after recovering from an Achilles tendon injury.
The 32-year-old underwent surgery in early May of 2024 after tearing his Achilles. He was a free agent this past season after signing mainly minimum contracts to play with his brother in Milwaukee.
Thanasis, who made two appearances with the Knicks in 2015/16, saw action in 196 Bucks games from 2019-24. He played 34 games during the 2023/24 season and has posted averages of 2.4 points and 1.6 rebounds in 7.7 minutes per game over the course of his NBA career.
The Bucks will now have 15 players on guaranteed contracts, ESPN’s Bobby Marks tweets. This could put Andre Jackson Jr.‘s roster status in jeopardy.
The former UConn guard has an $800K guarantee on his $2,221,677 contract. It becomes fully guaranteed if he makes the opening night roster.