It goes without saying that Giannis Antetokounmpo is a once-in-a-generation talent who has already done enough in his young career to be considered one of the best international athletes to wear an NBA uniform. Unfortunately, even with The Greek Freak having quite a storied individual career so far in Milwaukee, complete with back-to-back MVPs, the franchise hasn't won any hardware yet thanks to several disappointing playoff exits. Naturally, this has led to plenty of speculation about Antetokounmpo's future and whether he'll sign a supermax deal this offseason or look to bounce in 2021.
This past playoff disappointment was especially egregious, with the Bucks getting stomped out by the fifth-seeded Miami Heat in the bubble. Giannis certainly didn't play well as he struggled against the Heat's versatile defense, bringing back memories of his issues against Kawhi Leonard and the Toronto Raptors the year before. The Bucks superstar wound up getting hurt, resulting in him watching the disappointing elimination from the bench.
The attention immediately turned to Antetokounmpo's future, putting all the pressure on Milwaukee to make big moves this offseason to convince him to stick around. He had meetings with management to set a path forward for the franchise this offseason.
Just a few days ago, it seemed like the Bucks had succeeded in their goal. They made a bold move for New Orleans Pelicans guard Jrue Holiday, totally revamping their backcourt by sending away both Eric Bledsoe and George Hill. The Bucks already led the NBA in defense last season, and Holiday will only help in that regard as one of the best defensive guards in the league.
Offensively, Holiday is a major upgrade over Bledsoe, who has consistently come up short in the playoffs. Hill's veteran guile and shooting may be missed, but Holiday is a solid shooter in his own right who's simply way more dynamic as a player. This will take pressure off Antetokounmpo when it matters.
Milwaukee did sell the farm in terms of draft picks to acquire Holiday, with three first-round picks and two pick swaps going to New Orleans. This showed the desperation necessary to make a big splash, and one has to think the move was made with Giannis' blessing given all the future draft capital given up.
After the Holiday deal, the Bucks appeared to make another big move by acquiring Bogdan Bogdanovic in a sign-and-trade deal with the Sacramento Kings, with Donte DiVincenzo, D.J. Wilson and Ersan Ilyasova set to go to the Kings in return. Bogdanovic seemed like a great addition in Milwaukee with his shooting and quick-strike capabilities on offense. Inserting the Serbian into the Bucks' lineup would add another dimension to their offense and make them a more dangerous threat in the playoffs, when their offense has come up short.
Sadly, the deal has hit a major snag, with reports surfacing that Bogdanovic never really agreed on the move. The Kings swingman is reportedly now set to hit restricted free agency and seek out other offers. Perhaps all the sides can get together again and figure something out. Maybe this is all a ploy in an attempt to try to skirt tampering penalties.
Whatever the case, the Bucks have more work to do to upgrade their roster. While reporting in the immediate aftermath of these reported deals suggested Giannis is set to sign the supermax, one has to wonder what he's thinking now after this major gaffe with Bogdanovic. This doesn't reflect too well on Milwaukee, which could backfire on them in their attempts to convince Antetokounmpo to stay.
A new two-way playmaker in Holiday is certainly still a good start for the Bucks this offseason. Holiday, Giannis and Khris Middleton is an extremely formidable trio. Still, Bogdanovic would have added more juice to Milwaukee's half-court offense, which has been a big problem in the playoffs, so the team will need to figure out how to improve that, whether that's by saving the situation with the Kings or looking elsewhere this offseason. The Bucks did add a pair of shooters in the second round in Jordan Nwora and Sam Merrill, but they can't be counted on, even if their fits make sense.
There's still time for Milwaukee to figure things out and salvage this situation, but with the shortened nature of this offseason, there's not as much time as usual. If they don't make any more big moves, the Bucks will just have to hope and pray that Giannis Antetokounmpo thinks it's the right move to stick around for the long haul.
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