NBA Rumors: Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Contract Extension With Bucks Could Dictate 2020 ‘Summer’s Star Movement’
Reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo may currently be focused on helping the Milwaukee Bucks win the NBA championship title in the 2019-20 NBA season, but rumors have been swirling nonstop around his future in the league. Though he won’t become an unrestricted free agent until the summer of 2021, Antetokounmpo will have to make an important decision regarding his contract extension with the Bucks this offseason.
Antetokounmpo hasn’t shown any indication that he is planning to leave Milwaukee, but as of now, he also hasn’t given any assurance that he will be inking a new deal with the Bucks this summer. Antetokounmpo’s decision regarding his contract extension will not only determine the fate of the Bucks, but it will also affect the plans of other NBA teams in the 2020 NBA offseason. In a recent appearance on The Hoop Collective podcast, via ESPN Radio, Brian Windhorst revealed that the 2020 “summer’s star movement” will depend on whether Antetokounmpo will agree to sign the contract extension with the Bucks or not.
“One of the things when I talk to executives out there that they say is if Giannis extends with the Bucks this summer, which depending on who you talk to is either a slam dunk or a real question, the Bucks certainly feel like they have a great chance to extend him this summer,” Windhorst said, as quoted by RealGM. “If he signs that supermax extension this summer and all of the teams that are sort of saving, you know, keeping their ammo dry for 2021 may begin to make action. They tell me this summer’s star movement may be hinged on whether or not Giannis extends or not. If he extends, you’ll all of a sudden see more action.”
Meanwhile, if Antetokounmpo won’t sign the supermax extension and won’t give them any guarantee that he will re-sign when he becomes an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2021, most people believe that the Bucks would be forced to make him available on the trade market this offseason. Trading Antetokounmpo, while his value is high, would be a better option for the Bucks than risk losing him in the 2021 NBA free agency without getting anything in return.
If that happens, most teams in the league would surely do everything that they could to add Antetokounmpo to their roster. Antetokounmpo is one of the few players in the league who is capable of turning an average playoff team into a legitimate title contender. One of the NBA teams who is being linked to Antetokounmpo is the Golden State Warriors. Having the worst record in the 2019-20 NBA season, the Warriors have a strong chance of acquiring the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, which they could use as the main trade chip to convince the Bucks to engage in a blockbuster deal this summer.
