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Giannis fails to shut down trade demand talk as Bucks divorce seems inevitable

In his first comments since being injured in early December, Giannis Antetokounmpo said plenty, but not the magic words.
Tony Mejia|
Injured Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo could only watch as his team faltered again in the fourth quarter in their latest loss against the Toronto Raptors.
Injured Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo could only watch as his team faltered again in the fourth quarter in their latest loss against the Toronto Raptors. | Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

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Giannis Antetokounmpo knows the best ability there is in availability. That works in any field at any time. Reliability is a product of availability when you’re great, which he has been for the better part of the last decade, becoming one of the most productive forwards in NBA history.

At the moment, Antetokounmpo isn’t available to play due to a calf injury he now says is a soleus strain, so he’s putting another ability into practice. 

Giannis has apparently learned all about plausible deniability. He’s riding with it as a defense for his silence amid all the trade drama the Milwaukee Bucks and their fans are currently dealing with as a result of his rumored displeasure with the only organization he’s played for.

Addressing the media for the first time on Thursday, Antetokounmpo sure said a lot, touching on many subjects. The one thing the Bucks were hoping to hear, a complete refusal to see himself elsewhere in order to shut down all the chatter, never came out of his mouth. When specifically asked by the Athletic about the well-publicized report that agent Alex Saratsis asked to sit down with the Bucks to discuss his future, Antetokounmpo passed the buck. He said he hadn't heard about it.

“If my agent is talking to the Bucks about it, he is his own person. He can have any conversation he wants about it. He can have any conversation he wants about it. At the end of the day, I don’t work for my agent, my agent works for me,” Antetokounmpo said, perhaps forgetting that most know his relationship with his agent is a little different than most and everyone who follows the NBA knows it. 

“At the end of the day, I personally have not had the conversation with the Bucks. I’m still locked in, locked in on my teammates. Most importantly, locked in on me getting back healthy.” 

Antetokounmpo went on to say he knows all these rumors take a toll on his teammates, but he didn’t end them by saying he’s not going to issue a trade demand. It’s his prerogative to keep his options open. It’s his agent’s job to take the heat for him in exploring what possibilities are out there for him as the Bucks languish as a losing team. 

What was most annoying about Antetokounmpo’s approach to addressing these rumors is that he seems to want to stifle the inevitable conversation about where his future may lie without resorting to saying the one thing that would end all speculation.

Is he staying? Maybe. Does it depend on where the Bucks, who lost again to Toronto 111-105 on Thursday, find themselves in the Eastern Conference standings when he’s ready to return sometime around the new year? Probably. 

Does that add to the stress level of teammates looking to keep the ship afloat while shorthanded? Obviously.

Shorthanded Bucks continue to struggle ahead of daunting road trip

Giannis stated he’s locked in on how he can help teammates “from the sideline or encourage them to be able to play and play free, because at the end of the day, it takes a toll on them too, right?”

Right. The Bucks are 11-17, a season-worst six games below .500, and are now 3-12 over their last 15. Milwaukee is 2-5 in December, has dropped seven straight games away from Fiserv Forum and now has to hit the road for a 10-day stretch where they’ll play in Minnesota, Indiana, Memphis, Chicago and Charlotte. Given the recovery period for a soleus injury, Antetokounmpo’s return will come after all these games.

“I’m just focused on getting back healthy on the court, focusing on how can I encourage my team to be the best version of themselves,” Antetokounmpo said. “After that, focus on who can I go out there and help them win games and get out of this hole that we’ve dug ourselves in and everything else will come after that.”

A lot of “after thats” are being deployed, which may or may not be a stall tactic, but it definitely feels like the “Greek Freak” is taking a wait-and-see approach regarding this future his agent may or may not have started talking to the Bucks about in an effort to start potentially deciphering an exit strategy. 

Antetokounmpo is a great guy. Everyone in league circles knows he’s the hardest of workers. He deserves to be happy and compete for championships. He just shouldn’t try and deny the obvious. It’s pretty clear his days in Milwaukee appear numbered.

“This is the most I’ve been ever talked about in my career,” Antetokounmpo said, chuckling through his dialogue. “I’m like in my house with my kids and all that, and I’m watching the TV, and they’re like ‘oh, Giannis is going to the Memphis Grizzlies,’ ‘Giannis is going to the Detroit Pistons,’ which hey, I’m not going to lie, I’m the hottest chick in the game right now.”

The hottest chick tells suitors she’s married if she wants to stay married. She doesn’t let people dream about taking her to Miami for some sun, or New York City for a delicious gyro.  She doesn't let people make memes dressing her up in different outfits via Photoshop.

By not declaring it impossible that he’ll be playing elsewhere by season’s end, Antetokounmpo is allowing the speculation to continue to weigh down teammates and Bucks fans, which makes his exit appear inevitable. Whether it comes before the trade deadline or after the season ends in some summer blockbuster remains to be seen. 

After that… it feels like it should be followed by the last line about Keyser Soze in “The Usual Suspects.” And like that, he’s gone.

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Tony Mejia
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