Apr 29, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) during game five of the first round for the 2024 NBA Playoffs against the Indiana Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images / Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images
After the Milwaukee Bucks squandered a seven-point lead with under a minute to play in Game 5 of their opening round series against the Indiana Pacers, it seemed the entire basketball world knew what would come next.
Giannis Antetokounmpo’s future has long been a topic of speculation, and less than 24 hours after the season-ending loss, a report emerged revealing that fans may finally receive some answers.
In an article published Wednesday morning, ESPN’s Jamal Collier described an eventual rendezvous between Antetokounmpo and Bucks management.
“The Bucks and Antetokounmpo are scheduled to meet after the season to discuss both his future and the future plans for the team, sources told ESPN’s Shams Charania,” Collier wrote. “It’s an annual meeting between the two sides, but one that carries a different tone heading into the summer after the Bucks failed to win a playoff series even with their star putting up a dominant performance.”
If in that meeting the seemingly never-ending narrative of Antetokounmpo requesting a trade to the Brooklyn Nets is brought up, the NBA landscape could be in for another blockbuster deal just three months after Luka Doncic was moved to the Los Angeles Lakers.
“It doesn’t feel good, man,” Antetokounmpo said after Indiana’s miraculous comeback. “It doesn’t feel good. I just got to look myself in the mirror and I just have to be better. I have to be better.”
While the “Greek Freak” publicly took responsibility for the Bucks’ second-straight first-round exit at the hands of the Pacers, Milwaukee itself carries much of the blame. The organization has proven unable to build as strong a core around Antetokounmpo that it had during 2021’s title run—a reality that may push the two-time MVP to Kings County.
Brooklyn’s roster is nowhere near ready to compete yet, but with a commitment from Antetokounmpo and shrewd moves by GM Sean Marks, a pairing theoretically could be successful. Now, a decision to completely botch last year’s entrance into a full-blown rebuild may not be the wisest decision given the Nets’ past, but Antetokounmpo has long been Marks’ ultimate prize.
With that in mind, it seems evident that Marks and Brooklyn’s front office have plans in place for securing one of the league’s most dominant forces. Whether that’s true or not remains to be seen, but this upcoming powwow between Antetokounmpo and Milwaukee could be the beginning of Marks’ vision coming together.
