Giannis Antetokounmpo Leaves Bucks Game With Injury As Trade Speculation Swirls

Times are tense in the Badger State.

Could the end of the line be near for Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks? | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Bucks fans probably thought Wednesday couldn’t get worse after news broke from ESPN’s Shams Charania that forward Giannis Antetokounmpo is becoming increasingly open to a future elsewhere.

They were wrong.

Antetokounmpo suffered a calf strain in Milwaukee’s home game against the Pistons and was ruled out, the team announced Wednesday evening. After the game, coach Doc Rivers told reporters via Eric Nehm of The Athletic Antetokounmpo was undergoing an MRI and he did not believe the superstar had injured his Achilles.

The 30-year-old future Hall of Famer has been his usual excellent self over the course of 16 games this season, averaging 30.6 points, 10.7 rebounds and 6.4 assists per game. The problem is that the Bucks have not kept pace—after a promising 4–1 start, Milwaukee has dropped eight of its last nine games. Coach Doc Rivers’s 9–13 team sits a game behind the 10th-place Bulls in the early race for the Eastern Conference’s final play-in spot.

Antetokounmpo has played only for the Bucks since being taken 15th in the 2013 draft. He is the franchise’s all-time leader in points, rebounds, assists and blocks.

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