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Giannis Antetokounmpo is happy and focused now, according to insider

The saga will extend to the offseason, and perhaps beyond
Alex Toledo|
The mural of Milwaukee Buck Giannis Antetokounmpo on the side the 600 EAST building Mike De Sisti / The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
The mural of Milwaukee Buck Giannis Antetokounmpo on the side the 600 EAST building Mike De Sisti / The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | Mike De Sisti/The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Milwaukee Bucks

The NBA's trade deadline came and went, proving to be a rough day for the Miami Heat, the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Golden State Warriors and all their fans in regards to their chase for Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo.

The saga will continue, as the two-time MVP plans to make his return to the floor relatively soon and could possibly come to a real conclusion down the line, depending on whether or not Antetokounmpo commits to a four-year, $275 million extension after he's eligible on Oct. 1.

Amazon Prime Video's Chris Haynes provided clarity on where the two parties stand now that the Bucks decided to extend their partnership with Antetokounmpo through the rest of the regular season.

"Well, sources close to me told me that 'Hey, reiterate that he never requested a trade.' Obviously he's been applying pressure over the last couple of years in hopes that the Bucks will, you know, turn this roster into a championship contending roster. He wants to continue for a title for years and years during his prime, but right now, he's happy," Haynes said. "I was told that he's committed and focused on getting back healthy from that calf injury and he's progressing really well to the point where he might even play in the All-Star Game on February 15th."

"So with all that being said, what ultimately stopped a move from happening right now was that the Bucks were essentially just in intel-gathering phase, right? They were trying to figure out what deals are out there and I think they made the choice and the decision that in the offseason would be better suited to probably make a play for Giannis Antetokounmpo," Haynes concluded. "So for right now, Giannis, he's happy, he's focused. He wants to make a playoff push and so, this thing is going to extend until another five months."

The Bucks stand at 20-29 on the season, winning half their games when Antetokounmpo plays and losing 14 of 19 games without him, currently in the 12th seed in the East, three games behind the 10th seed and two games behind the 11th.

There is a decent likelihood that the Bucks end up with a good pick in what's supposed to be a talent-stacked draft class, whether or not Antetokounmpo plays, and the team will have access to three trade-able first round picks in the offseason to potentially use to upgrade the roster around him.

If things finally do come to a close and the Bucks do decide to re-open negotiations, however, other interested teams' potential offers will have improved as well, alongside whatever likelihood there is of teams that weren't interested at the deadline becoming interested after disappointing Playoff runs.

In 30 games this season, Antetokounmpo is averaging 28 points, 10 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 0.9 steals and 0.7 blocks in 29 minutes per game, sinking 64.7 percent of his field goals and 39.5 percent of his threes.

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Alexander Toledo is a contributor to Milwaukee Bucks On SI and producer/co-host of the Five on the Floor podcast, covering the Miami Heat and NBA. He can be reached at Twitter: @tropicalblanket

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Alex Toledo
ALEX TOLEDO

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