No storyline this offseason was greater than the one that surrounded Giannis Antetokounmpo and his immediate future with the Milwaukee Bucks.
After losing in the first round of the playoffs for the third consecutive season, rumors about what the two-time NBA MVP would do began to spread like wildfire. For the first time ever, there was genuine belief around that league that Antetokounmpo would seriously consider leaving Milwaukee, which has been his home his entire 12-year career, for a new opportunity.
At the end of the day, all Giannis wants is to contend for a championship, which is why there were serious questions about whether he was all-in with a Bucks team that couldn't do much else other than replace Damian Lillard, who will miss the entire 2025-26 NBA season with an Achilles injury, with two-way big man Myles Turner.
Even after plenty of speculation about what the future held for Antetokounmpo, he has never once requested a trade and remains the face of the Bucks. How long this will last is the next at large, and this was one of the main topics at Bucks Media Day on Monday.
Giannis was not present at Media Day in Milwaukee after testing positive for COVID overseas in Greece. While he hopes to join his team in the next few days, Antetokounmpo did not want to put anyone at risk and instead conducted a video call with reporters to answer any questions.
Aside from talking about the Bucks' roster and his time playing for the Greek national team in EuroBasket 2025, silence and anticipation filled the air when the 30-year-old superstar was asked whether there was any truth to the reports about him seriously considering a departure from Milwaukee this offseason.
Antetokounmpo's answer was a clear message to the Bucks' front office.
“Of course, yes. Guys, every summer, there's truth to every report. (It's) the same thing I've been saying my entire career. I want to be on a team that allows me and gives me a chance to win a championship,” Antetokounmpo said. “I think it's a disservice to basketball to not wanting to compete at a high level, to want your season to end in April.
“It's pretty much the same. I had the same thoughts last year. I had the same thoughts two years ago. I had the same thoughts five years ago in 2020. It's never going to change.”
The Bucks' lack of postseason success has definitely impacted Giannis' thinking through the years, and it appears he is at a tipping point. Should Milwaukee continue to come up short in the postseason, possibly losing in the first round for a fourth straight year during the 2025-26 season, it's reasonable to believe Antetokounmpo will finally look elsewhere.
All Giannis wants is to win. More importantly, he wants to win his second championship.
If that can't happen with the Bucks and the organization doesn't prove they are willing to make moves to win a title right now, then the Greek Freak will take his talents to another team.
The Bucks are on the clock, and they must put an end to their postseason woes this year to keep Antetokounmpo.
“I want to be among the best. I want to compete with the best, and I want to win another championship.”
