ESPN Insider Doubles Down on Giannis Antetokounmpo's Questionable Bucks Future

They aren't backing down when it comes to their reporting of his situation.

Dec 19, 2023; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) celebrates following the game against the San Antonio Spurs at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images | Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

The Milwaukee Bucks have been publicly very confident that they will have Giannis Antetokounmpo back on the roster for next season, despite some reporting that he is open to leaving.

Antetokounmpo has played his entire career in Milwaukee. He helped them win the NBA championship back in 2021 over the Phoenix Suns, giving the Bucks their first title in 50 years.

ESPN's Shams Charania has been steadfast in his reporting that Antetokounmpo has yet to make up his mind if he's coming back to Milwaukee. He doubled down on that reporting recently.

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Charania is not backing down, relaying that he is reporting what he believes to be accurate information surrounding the Antetokounmpo situation.

Shams weighs in on his biggest critics surrounding Giannis trade rumors. 👀#fearthedeer #NBA pic.twitter.com/6eFzkVOsxT

— ESPN Milwaukee (@ESPNMilwaukee) August 4, 2025

"My job is to report, and that's all I'm focused on. Accurate, transparent, fair, responsible reporting. This is something I've definitely been tracking for a while. If and when Giannis Antetokounmpo hits the market and is moved, it would obviously be monumental for every team, every person, everyone around the NBA."

Charnia is not backing down, and it sounds like he believes that Antetokounmpo will leave Milwaukee at some point. In fact, he believes there's nothing set in stone quite yet.

"There's nothing set in stone from my conversations, really, on both sides, that he is for sure staying or deciding to leave."

In essence, nothing has been decided yet, and the Bucks will have to wait for Antetokounmpo to firmly decide if he wants to be in a Bucks uniform next season or not.

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The Bucks are still upgrading the roster with the expectation that Antetokounmpo is going to come back. If they didn't think he was going to return, they wouldn't have made the bold move to bring in Myles Turner.

Instead, it's pretty clear that they are doing everything possible to keep Antetokounmpo happy and ready to play for the Bucks for the next few years and beyond.

This past season for the Bucks, Antetokounmpo averaged 30.4 points, 11.9 rebounds, and 6.5 assists per game. He shot 60.2 percent from the field and 22.2 percent from beyond the 3-point arc.

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