Giannis Antetokounmpo’s insistence he won’t agree terms on another multiyear extension in Milwaukee next summer, unless he feels everyone’s on the same page and still in championship contention, is another timely reminder that star players’ title window can quickly be rendered finite. The franchises and fans they play for, are more than aware of that – but navigating this is a tricky task.
Giannis: New head coach Griffin will play role in his decision
- “I would not be the best version of myself if I don’t know that everybody’s on the same page, going for a championship, sacrifice time away from their family like I do. If I don’t feel that, I’m not signing,” – the biggest quote emanating from Giannis’ interview with the NY Times’ Tania Ganguli
- Having suffered with mental health issues and seriously considering retirement in 2020, 28-year-old called winning a championship the following year the “best feeling” he’s felt so far in basketball and has thirst to experience it again – whether that’s in Milwaukee, or elsewhere
- On that pursuit for further success, the 2021 NBA Finals MVP said: “This is my team, it’s forever going to be that and I don’t forget people that were there and allowed me to be great… but we have to win another one. Being a winner is over that goal [of being a one-team player], I don’t want to be 20 years on the same team and don’t win another championship.”
We’ve seen it in the past and there’s almost an imaginary clock ticking down the seconds until this happens again: within the NBA’s pursuit of team (and individual) success, a star will ask out of their contract and want to be traded elsewhere.
Seven-time All-Star point guard Damian Lillard is the most recent example, of a one-club man for whom patience has finally snapped in Portland. It was Bradley Beal before him, and whispers suggest Karl-Anthony Towns isn’t too far behind either.
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The difference between the former two and KAT is, well, public perception favours them. They’ve built up enough credit in the bank through consistent performances, it makes the wandering eye glances at rival franchises a little easier to accept – even when agreeing terms on contract extensions that raise alarm bells leaguewide.
Luka Doncic hasn’t tasted the same success but is experiencing similar in Dallas, so much so that head coaches are openly having to acknowledge his workload and the Kyrie Irving-shaped solution hasn’t worked to plan just yet either.
Giannis has purposely been circumspect in the past, but nonetheless spoken about other teams too and as his profile continues to build, little excerpts from dated stories and never-before-seen comments have been covered in more detail.
Whether it’s how close he was to being drafted by Atlanta a decade ago, or how everyone would love to play for Chicago – unprovoked – he’s now more open.
Mike Budenholzer’s dismissal also means a fresh face in charge of steering the ship with Giannis – now-former Toronto Raptors assistant Adrian Griffin, who met and got an endorsement from his new franchise star during the recruitment process.
Also on this topic, beyond this site
The Bucks got their guy, in Adrian Griffin
Giannis ‘forever grateful’ to Budenholzer
The Athletic’s Eric Nehm identified solving Milwaukee’s halfcourt offense as Griffin’s toughest task come playoff time, one built around Giannis with Holiday-Middleton as playmakers, trying to supplement them with ample three-point shooting.
Teething problems are an inevitability, especially as he chops-and-changes through his first NBA head coaching job. But what happens if they persist and tensions increase, like Stephen Silas (Houston) and Steve Nash (Brooklyn) before him?
Many league insiders were declaring Joe Mazzulla out of his depth before Boston’s surprise comeback against Philadelphia, and then a rescue recovery to take Miami into a Game 7, and it wouldn’t be surprising if he was scapegoated for a poor start with the Celtics next term – PR-heavy statements of confidence aside.
New York have often been discussed as a possible Giannis destination especially recently, while Golden State and the Los Angeles Lakers are never far away when chatter about a potentially disgruntled star surfaces. That comes with the territory.
Last time this happened in real-time, Milwaukee’s front office responded by pushing out the boat for Jrue Holiday. Now their core is older and more battle-tested, but aging as long-term injuries linger – Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez good examples.
At the time, I wrote:
After watching his former All-Star teammate Anthony Davis thrive in LA alongside LeBron James over the past two years, Holiday’s selflessness needed to be channelled the right way.
By establishing himself as a key contributor immediately in Milwaukee alongside reigning two-time MVP Giannis and Middleton, he’s doing precisely that.
Holiday might’ve seen a drop-off in most of his raw shooting numbers last year (47.9 FG%, 38.4 3P%, eFG 55.6) but was an All-Star for only the second time in his career too – thriving with more creative impetus (19.3 pts, 7.4 ast, 5.1 rebs per game).
Middleton could only suit up in 33 regular season games and was streaky during their surprise five-game first-round series defeat by the eventual finalists Miami Heat.
Lopez produced a much-needed bounceback year after undergoing back surgery during a troublesome 2021-22 campaign, but is 35 and just agreed a two-year, $48m extension to return amid interest from a raft of other contenders this offseason.
Can they handle the rigours of a full postseason, maintaining consistency at the same time? Is Giannis merely sending Bucks hierarchy another message, or genuinely scanning his options at a time where another big contract decision looms?
Picture source: Getty Images, quotes via NY Times article as hyperlinked above
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