OPINION: Bucks All-In On Antetokounmpo
If the past couple decades of the NBA has taught us anything, it is that fielding consistently competitive teams requires collecting and retaining star players.
The Milwaukee Bucks have been searching for the right players to compliment Giannis Antetokounmpo as he has emerged into his prime, winning the past two league MVP awards. To hear Giannis tell it however, his goals are a lot higher than individual titles.
“Don’t call me MVP until I’m a champion,” Giannis told NBA TV shortly after receiving the award. “I’m happy for the award but I want more.”
As Antetokounmpo nears free agency after the upcoming 2020-21 season, Bucks executives are well aware that this is their final offseason to put a team together to their star’s liking. The team has until Dec. 21 to convince the Greek Freak to sign a supermax extension of five years that would likely exceed $200 million. This past week in a blockbuster trade, Milwaukee acquired Jrue Holiday from the New Orleans Pelicans in exchange for Eric Bledsoe, George Hill, three first-round picks and two additional pick-swaps. NBA rules prevent the trading of first-round picks in consecutive years, so the reported picks involved were 2020’s first rounder, the right to swap in 2024, 2025 first-rounder, 2026 right to swap and 2027 first-rounder.
Holiday represents Milwaukee’s latest attempt to pair a complimentary guard with Giannis who can serve as distributor, defender and the occasional three-point threat. The two stats that stick out when comparing Holiday with the outgoing Bledsoe are the assist and steal numbers. While Bledsoe was often maligned for looking for his own shot and playing sub-par defense, Holiday is a much more willing defender and distributor. He also possesses many of the same scoring efficiencies as Bledsoe, making the move an unquestionable improvement.
As of the writing of this column, an initially reported sign-and-trade for Sacramento Kings guard Bogdan Bogdanovich was not as done of a deal as it was earlier last week. Whether this particular move does in fact go through or not, the message from Milwaukee GM Jon Horst is clear: they believe they can retain Giannis and are willing to make the moves necessary to make it happen. That alone is an encouraging sign for all who follow the Bucks.
Many reports suggested the league reaction was that there was no way Milwaukee makes those moves with their draft capital without a strong indication Giannis will return. Time will tell whether those assessments will be correct.
