Giannis Antetokounmpo told Jrue Holiday the Milwaukee Bucks miss his defense and leadership, according to Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.
Antetokounmpo and Holiday led the Bucks to the 2021 championship against the Phoenix Suns. Milwaukee traded Holiday to the Portland Trail Blazers for Damian Lillard in 2023. Holiday won the 2024 championship with the Boston Celtics, while Antetokounmpo and Milwaukee have just one playoff series win since 2021.
Antetokounmpo and Lillard were teammates for two seasons. The Bucks lost to the Indiana Pacers in the first round of the 2024 and 2025 playoffs.
Lillard tore his Achilles tendon in the 2025 playoffs and was waived and stretched by Milwaukee last offseason. The future Hall of Famer returned to the Trail Blazers, while the Bucks signed former Pacers center Myles Turner.
Milwaukee has been a walking disaster this season. The team is in 11th place in the Eastern Conference standings.
Antetokounmpo has played in only 36 games this season due to injuries. He’s averaging 27.6 points, 9.8 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game while shooting 62.4% from the field, 33.3% from beyond the arc and 65.0% from the free-throw line.
The Bucks want Antetokounmpo to sit out the rest of the season, but the forward has made it clear he intends to keep playing, per Eric Nehm of The Athletic. Antetokounmpo is currently out with a left knee hyperextension.
Antetokounmpo has spent his entire NBA career with the Bucks. He’s a two-time MVP, one-time Finals MVP, one-time Defensive Player of the Year and 10-time All-Star. The superstar has a player option worth $62.8 million for the 2027-28 season under his current contract.
If Antetokounmpo doesn’t sign an extension with the Bucks in October, he will be traded. That’s at least what Milwaukee co-owner Wes Edens told Shelburne.
“Giannis is going into the last year [of his contract],” Edens said. “So one of two things will happen: Either he will be extended or he’ll be traded. The likelihood you’ll let him just kind of play out the last year, we can’t afford that. It’s not consistent with what’s good for the organization. That’s not a Giannis issue. That’s any player that’s in their last year.”
Antetokounmpo is eligible to sign a four-year, $275 million extension with the Bucks on October 1. The Greek Freak was almost traded at this year’s NBA trade deadline, with the Golden State Warriors, Minnesota Timberwolves, New York Knicks and Miami Heat in hot pursuit.
Everyone who covers the NBA is exhausted of the Antetokounmpo-Bucks situation. Antetokounmpo should formally request a trade this offseason and continue his NBA career elsewhere.
