Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo has the power to completely change the landscape of the NBA this summer as he is reportedly open to leaving the only franchise he’s ever played for.
The Bucks have largely struggled since capturing the 2021 NBA Championship, flaming out in the postseason including this year when they lost in the first round to the Indiana Pacers in five games. Antetokounmpo’s hardly at fault for Milwaukee’s struggles as he’s put up historic numbers across the board but the team’s failed to put a quality supporting cast around him. Making matters worse is Damian Lillard’s health as the superstar guard suffered an Achilles injury that could force him to miss the entirety of the 2025-26 season.
Antetokounmpo has expressed his desire to win multiple championships and the general feeling is that he won’t be able to do that with the Bucks due to their salary capsheet and lack of draft assets. Overall, a trade might make sense for both sides though this could go deep into the summer as trading a player like Antetokounmpo is a massive decision that could alter a franchise’s fortunes for decades.
Amid reports that Antetokounmpo is set to meet with Milwaukee’s brass, he held a question and answer session and revealed that he grew up admiring Lakers legend Magic Johnson, via his personal X account:
AI -KD- Magic https://t.co/Ite31AnBjV
— Giannis Antetokounmpo (@Giannis_An34) May 18, 2025
Like Johnson, Antetokounmpo is a pseudo guard-forward mix that can handle the ball and get to the cup at will. Antetokounmpo is far from the kind of passer that Johnson was, but he’s got good vision and access to passing angles other players don’t due to his size and length.
The biggest disparity between the two, though, is Antetokounmpo is an overwhelming force going downhill and is nearly impossible to stop once he’s got two feet in the paint. Antetokounmpo is arguably the perfect illustration of the modern NBA as a big man with speed, agility and ball-handling skills.
Perhaps it won’t be long until Antetokounmpo joins Johnson as a member of the purple and gold, but for now the entire league is holding its breath waiting for what he decides to do about his future.
Giannis Antetokounmpo puts LeBron James in GOAT conversation and all-time starting five
In the same question and answer session, Giannis Antetokounmpo included Lakers star LeBron James both in the GOAT conversation and his personal all-time starting five.
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