NBA Rumors: Giannis Antetokounmpo Cited Bradley Beal As ‘Desirable Target’ For Bucks
After they fell short of achieving their main goal last season, reigning MVP and Defensive Player of the Year Giannis Antetokounmpo urged the Milwaukee Bucks to make major upgrades on their roster this offseason. They successfully upgraded their point guard position by acquiring Jrue Holiday from the New Orleans Pelicans, but they failed to add one of Antetokounmpo’s preferred targets, Bogdan Bogdanovic, who signed with the Atlanta Hawks in the 2020 free agency. Now, rumors are circulating that the “Greek Freak” also wanted the Bucks to go after Washington Wizards shooting guard Bradley Beal.
According to Brian Windhorst and Kevin Arnovitz of ESPN, Antetokounmpo cited Beal as a potential acquisition for Milwaukee in the 2020 offseason.
“In addition to Bogdanovic, he cited Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal as a desirable target for the Bucks. Without impugning specific teammates, Antetokounmpo was implicitly suggesting what just about everyone in the organization — and the NBA — knew: The Bucks needed to upgrade their backcourt.”
It’s arguably not surprising that Antetokounmpo was interested in teaming up with Beal in Milwaukee. The two-time All-Star could bring tremendous improvement to the Bucks’ backcourt, giving them a very reliable scoring option, playmaker, and an elite three-point shooter. Last season, he averaged 30.5 points, 4.2 rebounds, 6.1 assists, and 1.2 steals while shooting 45.5 percent from the field and 35.3 percent from beyond the arc, per Basketball-Reference.
With Beal’s ability to excel on the court with or without the ball in his hands, he could be an ideal running mate to a ball-dominant superstar like Antetokounmpo. Also, sharing the floor with an elite three-point shooter like him could make it easier for the “Greek Freak” to penetrate the basket or kick the ball out when he’s trapped by the opposing team’s defense. Adding Beal to the core of Antetokounmpo, Holiday, Khris Middleton, and Brook Lopez has the potential to give Milwaukee a better chance of dominating the Eastern Conference and contending for the NBA championship in 2020-21.
Unfortunately for Antetokounmpo and the Bucks, the Wizards have been informing everyone in the league since the 2020 offseason started that they have no interest in moving Beal. Instead of giving up on Beal, they decided to surround him with quality players to boost their chances of returning to the playoffs next year. However, the Wizards still might change their stance about trading their best player, especially if they struggle early in 2020-21. Once he finally becomes available on the market, it’s possible the Bucks will do everything they can to bring Beal to Milwaukee before the 2021 trade deadline.
