NBA Rumors: Several Teams ‘Flooding The Bucks With Calls’ Inquiring About Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Availability
Reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo is currently on a mission to help the Milwaukee Bucks end their decades of title drought. Before the NBA suspension due to the coronavirus pandemic, Antetokounmpo was establishing an impressive performance on both ends of the floor, while the Bucks owned the best record — not just in the Eastern Conference but in the entire league. However, with his impending free agency, rumors continue to swirl around Antetokounmpo and his future with the team.
The Bucks have been continuously reminding everyone in the league that they have no intention of making Antetokounmpo available on the trade market this summer. As a matter of fact, the Bucks are planning to offer him a massive contract extension that would prevent him from hitting the free agency market in the summer of 2021. However, with Antetokounmpo undecided on whether he will immediately ink a new deal with the Bucks in the 2020 NBA offseason, Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report reported that several teams are “flooding” Milwaukee with calls inquiring about the reigning MVP’s availability via trade.
“The Milwaukee Bucks are eager to sit down with the league’s Most Valuable Player, Giannis Antetokounmpo, to discuss a supermax extension. While sources indicate teams are flooding the Bucks with calls testing the waters, they’ve all gotten a harsh ‘no’ from Milwaukee. Will that tune change if Antetokounmpo rejects a massive payday to stay in Milwaukee? That’s still to be determined.”
As expected, teams who called the Bucks received a “harsh no,” but Milwaukee’s stance could dramatically change if Antetokounmpo decides to decline the massive contract extension. If Antetokounmpo won’t give them an assurance that he will re-sign in the summer of 2021, the Bucks could be forced to entertain offers for him this summer.
Antetokounmpo may not have given any indication that he’s no longer happy in Milwaukee, but according to a previous report by The Inquisitr, the reigning MVP could start looking for a way out of the Bucks if he loses confidence in their ability to win an NBA championship. Pincus didn’t name any specific teams that called the Bucks about Antetokounmpo. However, in past months, multiple reports suggested that one of those closely monitoring Antetokounmpo’s situation in Milwaukee is the Golden State Warriors.
Aside from making sure that their core of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green will be in perfect shape before the start of the 2020-21 NBA season, there is speculation that the Warriors will search for a fourth superstar this summer. The Warriors are in a strong position to engage in a blockbuster deal with the Bucks. They have Andrew Wiggins’ contract for salary-matching purposes and could use their own 2020 first-round pick and the Minnesota Timberwolves 2021 first-round pick as sweeteners to convince the Bucks to make a deal.
