The Milwaukee Bucks may have suffered a massive defeat from the hands of the Kawhi Leonard-led Toronto Raptors in the Eastern Conference Finals 2019, but they made everyone in the league notice that they are no longer a team that could be underestimated. From this season onward, every NBA team will start considering the Bucks as a legitimate threat in the Eastern Conference.
With his impressive performance on both ends of the floor, Bucks power forward Giannis Antetokounmpo was recently named to the All-Star NBA First Team, making him eligible to sign a five-year, $247.3 million supermax extension with Milwaukee in the summer of 2020. After expressing his desire to create something special and finish his NBA career in Milwaukee, most people don’t see the Bucks having a hard time convincing Antetokounmpo to sign the massive contract extension. However, according to Malika Andrews of ESPN , as much as Antetokounmpo loves the Bucks and Milwaukee, his No. 1 priority is winning.
A source reportedly told Andrews that the outcome of the 2019-20 NBA season will play a major role in Giannis Antetokounmpo’s decision in the summer of 2020. If they succeed to reach the NBA Finals 2020, Antetokoumpo is expected to immediately sign the massive contract extension with the Bucks. However, if they fail, Antetokoumpo may refuse to extend his contract with the Bucks and consider testing the free agency market in the 2021 NBA offseason.
“Antetokounmpo has consistently made public proclamations of his love for Milwaukee, as he grew up and became acclimated to American culture in Cream City after moving from Greece. Antetokounmpo adores the Bucks medical staff. His mother moved to Milwaukee. But he is all about winning. In more concrete terms, a source close to Antetokounmpo said that getting to the NBA Finals is not just an ambition, it could tip the scales as he weighs his contractual future. And if they can reach the NBA Finals next season, the Bucks can improve their chances of signing Antetokounmpo to the supermax in the summer of 2020.”
With the Bucks season ending abruptly two wins shy of the NBA Finals, a source close to Giannis Antetokounmpo tells ESPN that a Finals run in 2020 could tip the scales for Giannis to sign with Milwaukee long term. @espn story: https://t.co/Qkrbn6ffK9
— Malika Andrews (@malika_andrews) May 26, 2019
It will not come as a surprise if Giannis Antetokounmpo leaves the Bucks should they fall short of reaching the NBA Finals next season. In the past few years, it has become normal for NBA superstars to throw away their loyalty in exchange for a better chance of winning an NBA championship title. Once his contract expires, Antetokounmpo will likely be the hottest commodity on the free agency market in the summer of 2021.
Giannis’ free agency may still be more than two years away, but several NBA teams — including the Los Angeles Lakers have already been rumored to be keen on signing him in the 2021 NBA free agency. According to a previous by The Inquisitr , the recent hiring of former Milwaukee Bucks head coach Jason Kidd was a way for the Lakers to attract Antetokounmpo when he becomes an unrestricted free agent in July 2021.