{"id":101502,"date":"2024-10-16T17:34:32","date_gmt":"2024-10-16T21:34:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=101502"},"modified":"2024-10-16T17:34:32","modified_gmt":"2024-10-16T21:34:32","slug":"bucks-giannis-antetokounmpo-teases-potential-trade","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/10\/16\/bucks-giannis-antetokounmpo-teases-potential-trade\/","title":{"rendered":"2-Time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo Teases Potential Bucks Trade"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Milwaukee Bucks followed up their blockbuster trade for Damian Lillard<\/a> with a tumultuous season.<\/p>\n

Though they went 49-33, Antetokounmpo and Lillard didn\u2019t gel quickly or naturally. Their defensive schemes were questioned. They fired a head coach (Adrian Griffin) who went 30-13 and his replacement (Doc Rivers) went just 17-19. It was an eyesore.<\/p>\n

In an interview with The Athletic\u2019s Sam Amick, Antetokounmpo addressed the heightened expectations<\/a> in Year 2 of the Lillard experiment.<\/p>\n

2-Time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo Teases Potential Bucks Trade<\/h2>\n

\u201cYeah, if we don\u2019t win a championship, I might get traded,\u201d Antetokounmpo quips. \u201cYeah, this is the job we live. This is the world we\u2019re living in. It\u2019s everybody.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOn a serious note, this is the job,\u201d Antetokounmpo continues. \u201cIt\u2019s the profession that we\u2019re in. At any given moment, if you don\u2019t succeed, that might be it for us. It was the same way with the previous coaching staff, and the year before, the players before. \u2026 If you don\u2019t do a good enough job, you\u2019re out.\u201d<\/p>\n

Is Anybody Untouchable?<\/h3>\n

Antetokounmpo\u2019s stance is one that can\u2019t really be argued.<\/p>\n

In 2022, the Utah Jazz traded face of the franchise Donovan Mitchell<\/a> to the Cleveland Cavaliers. This offseason, the Atlanta Hawks were more motivated than ever to find a trade for<\/a> face of the franchise Trae Young<\/a>. This month, the Minnesota Timberwolves traded 2015 No. 1 pick Karl-Anthony Towns<\/a> to the New York Knicks. Towns had played in Minnesota for nine years.<\/p>\n

From that standpoint, any player can be traded. Even LeBron James<\/a> might have switched teams in 2023-24 if conversations between the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors went any further<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Giannis\u2019s Pros vs. Dame\u2019s Cons<\/h3>\n

The Bucks are unlikely to trade Antetokounmpo anytime soon because there aren\u2019t many ways they could get better by doing so. A two-time NBA MVP, he\u2019s possibly the closest player to James, a four-time NBA MVP and four-time NBA champion.<\/p>\n

Antetokounmpo\u2019s a blur on the break and a terror in transition defense, yet he\u2019s also devastating in the halfcourt. His combination of physical tools and mental acumen makes him elite at drive and kicks. Though he hasn\u2019t mastered midrange, he\u2019s become an increasingly adept scorer inside the arc. His finishing may be his best skill, as he score at seemingly impossible angles whether above or below the rim.<\/p>\n