The Milwaukee Bucks entered Friday evening’s action against the Miami Heat down 2-0 in their Eastern Conference Semifinals series.
A team that boasted the best record in the NBA during the regular season, a loss in the conference semifinals would be pretty darn painful. It could also help expedite the departure of reigning NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, who is slated to hit free agency following the 2020-21 season.
In talking about this as a guest co-host on TNT’s pre-game show Friday, Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green specifically mentioned Antetokounmpo’s pending free agency and the Bucks’ win-now mentality.
This is notable for a number of different reasons. By now, it’s well known that Giannis could very well elect to leave Milwaukee for a larger market once his contract expires. Where does Green and his team come into play? It’s rather obvious.
Warriors among the teams most linked to Giannis Antetokounmpo in free agency
- This has been the case for more than a calendar year. Once Kevin Durant left the Warriors in free agency during the summer of 2019, they seemingly turned their attention to the Greek Freak.
- Sure it might be hard for Golden State to land Giannis due to the team’s cap situation. With that said, we can’t count out a team that shockingly landed the above-mentioned Durant back in 2016.
- As for the Bucks, one of the only ways they will be able to retain Giannis long term is by proving they can contend for a title. Losing in the conference semifinals would toss aside that narrative in a big way.
Multiple teams are going to chase after Antetokounmpo once he does hit free agency following the 2020-21 season. He’s going to look at each opportunity in a larger market. That’s just the nature of the beast in today’s NBA.
There’s also some suggestions out there that Milwaukee might have to listen to trade offers for Giannis this coming offseason. The team simply can’t afford to lose him for free if it becomes clear he’s hellbent on leaving Wisconsin.
For now, it’s all speculation. Green talking about the Greek Freak and free agency only adds to that.