NBA superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks prefers playing for an East Coast team since the East Coast is closer to Greece, according to Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report.
Pincus also reports that Antetokounmpo doesn’t want to play with a ball-dominant lead guard and misses playing with former Bucks stars Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton. The three All-Stars led Milwaukee to the 2021 championship against the Phoenix Suns.
“That said, there’s some buzz in the NBA that Giannis Antetokounmpo prefers the East Coast, which is closer to Greece (both by flight and, perhaps more importantly, time zone),” Pincus wrote. “Additionally, some claim that Antetokounmpo misses playing with players like Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton, who were partners in the 2021 championship run.
“That’s not to suggest he wants to get the band back together. Still, some suggest Antetokounmpo doesn’t want to play with a ball-dominant lead guard, preferring to be the primary engine driving his team’s offense (Holiday and Middleton were comfortable playing without the ball around Antetokounmpo). Do both rumors make the Lakers, a West Coast team in Los Angeles, with a high-usage guard like Luka Dončić less likely than one like the Heat? Time will tell how accurate.”
The Bucks never felt urgency to trade Antetokounmpo at this year’s trade deadline. Antetokounmpo and Milwaukee will discuss their future again in the offseason.
The Miami Heat, Minnesota Timberwolves and Golden State Warriors tried to trade for Antetokounmpo at this year’s trade deadline. The Heat are an East Coast team.
The Los Angeles Lakers are considered a viable threat to trade for Antetokounmpo this offseason because they can offer up to three first-round picks to the Bucks for Antetokounmpo. In addition, Los Angeles can absorb Antetokounmpo’s contract into cap space without Milwaukee having to take back potentially unwanted salary.
However, the Lakers are a West Coast team and have Dončić, a ball-dominant player.
A future Hall of Famer, Antetokounmpo is a two-time MVP, one-time Finals MVP, one-time Defensive Player of the Year and 10-time All-Star. He has a player option worth $62.8 million for the 2027-28 season.
The Bucks can offer Antetokounmpo an extension in October. It will be fascinating to see if Antetokounmpo remains with Milwaukee or finally gets traded.
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