Reporting on NBA Today, insider Shams Charania detailed the growing sense of inevitability inside the Milwaukee Bucks organization that they are going to be trading superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo. Turning down a deal at the trade deadline, the dysfunction between the coach and players is leading to what could be the offseason’s big blockbuster.
Reports indicate that the New York Knicks were the team he wanted to join if he wasn’t staying with the Bucks. There was also talk that the Bucks seriously considered a trade package to the Miami Heat centered around Tyler Herro, Kel’el Ware, players + multiple picks/swaps.
There is tension within that organization. Charania reports, “When that tension bleeds over into the environment of the team, the culture of the team, and most importantly, the levers and misalignment across the organization — you think about your ownership group, your management, your coaches, and your players — it bleeds into all of that.” He added in separate article, “This is as toxic of a team situation as any in the league.”
The latest update in this regard included the Bucks’ decision to sit Giannis, which cost him a “significant bonus” from his Nike endorsement, per ESPN.
He went on to tell a few stories of examples where coach Doc Rivers and the rest of the team were not on the same page.
Everyone Continues Butting Heads
There were several instances where the team, Giannis, and the coach didn’t see eye to eye. The Bucks had a string of games they had to win to make the play-in tournament — games they had sold to the fans as ‘we’re going to get to the playoffs and make some noise.’
On March 1, they lost a double-digit lead in Chicago, and it turned into a blowout defeat. Then, on March 2, in a back-to-back against the Boston Celtics, Doc Rivers called for a team meeting. In that meeting, Rivers said something to the effect of: ‘Look at my resume. Google me. I took teams to the playoffs and championships that weren’t supposed to be there. I thought this was one of them.’ Reports indicate that the comments were not well-received internally.
Another example that rubbed players the wrong way came on March 21 in Phoenix. There was a shootaround that day and another team meeting — this one only with the veteran players, coaches, and veterans like Giannis, Bobby Portis, Kyle Kuzma, Miles Turner, Taurean Prince, etc.
In that meeting, Doc Rivers went around one by one, giving feedback to the players. When he got to Miles Turner, multiple people in the room told me Doc expressed disappointment in Turner’s play and said he expected more from him this season.
As the meeting was wrapping up and the group was starting to exit, Giannis and Bobby Portis — the two longest-standing players on the Bucks who weren’t individually addressed — spoke up. Giannis, in front of the coaches and everyone, stood up to support his teammates (specifically addressing Kyle Kuzma, Taurean Prince, and Miles Turner). He told them: ‘I let you down. It’s my fault. I wasn’t healthy. I wasn’t able to be there for you. I’m not disappointing you — it’s on me. I should have been available.’
That again shows the difference in messaging from the coach versus the star player, and the clear disconnect internally.”
On a Potential Breakup and Trade
Charania said, “Do I believe a breakup is inevitable with Giannis and the Bucks? Based on my reporting, at the highest levels of the organization, there’s a sense of inevitability to what’s coming. Ownership on down believes there’s an inevitability to a trade this offseason.”
He goes on to say that when Giannis signed his contract extensions in 2020 and 2023, sources on both sides told him there was a gentleman’s agreement — a promise of sorts — that if the time ever came that Giannis was ready for a trade, ownership and management would work collaboratively to assist that.
These requests started last May. Giannis looked at unfulfilled promises. Two weeks before the trade deadline, Giannis’ agent met with Jimmy Haslam and Wes Edens and said, ‘Hey, we’re ready — do right by Giannis.’ They did engage with teams. There was one team and one offer the Bucks seriously considered in the final hours: the Miami Heat.
The Bucks chose not to do that deal. “My understanding is ownership believed there would be better value for them in the offseason,” the insider said. Teams involved (such as Minnesota, Golden State, and Miami) believe comparable or slightly better offers will still be available this summer. “That gives the Bucks significant leverage depending on how ready Giannis is to move on and whether he’s willing to extend with a new team.”
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