MILWAUKEE (AP) — The postseason is starting without the Milwaukee Bucks for the first time in a decade.
How soon Milwaukee gets back to the playoffs could depend on an offseason that’s shaping up to be among the most critical in franchise history due to Giannis Antetokounmpo’s uncertain future.
Has the two-time MVP played his last game in a Bucks uniform?
“I don’t know,” Antetokounmpo said Sunday after a 126-106 loss at Philadelphia that capped the Bucks’
32-50 season. “It’s not up to me. We’ll see.”
Antetokounmpo, 31, has spent his entire 13-year career in Milwaukee, which selected the 6-foot-11 forward with the 15th pick in the 2013 draft. Antetokounmpo led the Bucks to their first title in half a century in 2021, and he owns franchise career records in virtually every major statistical category.
He’s eligible to become a free agent after next season if he doesn’t sign a four-year, $275 million contract extension in October. Or the Bucks could trade him beforehand if they don’t believe he will sign that extension. That uncertainty helps explain why Antetokounmpo was the center of attention at this season's trade deadline though the Bucks ultimately kept him.
Antetokounmpo was asked Sunday whether he’d sign an extension.
“It’s something I have to sit down with my family and see what’s best for me, what’s best for my family,” he replied.
Doc Rivers, who announced Monday that he's stepping down as the Bucks' coach, said he just wants a positive resolution for both parties.
“Giannis and this franchise won a title together, and to me, that should never be lost, no matter how this ends up,” Rivers said. “As I said, Giannis is a fantastic person. I’ve been lucky to coach a lot of stars, and he’s right at the top as far as just good people. I want good people to be taken care of.”
This crossroads arrives at a time when the relationship between Antetokounmpo and the front office is at its most fragile.
Antetokounmpo’s final game of the season came March 15 when an awkward fall on a dunk caused him to leave a victory over the Indiana Pacers. He averaged 27.6 points, 9.8 rebounds and 5.4 assists in a career-low 36 games.
He wanted to play the last couple of weeks and believed he was healthy enough to do so. Team officials continued to hold him out while saying he had a left knee hyperextension and bone bruise. The NBA is investigating the situation.
If the Bucks do lose Antetokounmpo, they could face a long rebuild because of their lack of draft assets.
The Bucks will have a lottery pick this year either in their own spot or in New Orleans’ spot — they’ll pick in the less favorable of those two positions. But they don’t have first-round selections in 2027 or 2029. They’ve agreed to pick swaps that could negatively impact their draft position in 2028 and 2030.
Since winning their 2021 title, the Bucks have made just two first-round picks: MarJon Beauchamp in 2022 and AJ Johnson in 2024. Neither remains with the team.
Antetokounmpo has said repeatedly he likes playing in Milwaukee but wants to be part of a franchise committed to competing for championships. The Bucks haven’t won a playoff series since 2022 and just produced their first losing season since 2015-16.
“We’re the furthest away we’ve been,” Antetokounmpo said. “I didn’t think we were going to be in this position last year, so I don’t know what position we will be in next year.”
Bad luck has played a role in Milwaukee’s downturn.
Khris Middleton had a knee injury that prevented the three-time All-Star from playing in Milwaukee’s 2022 Eastern Conference semifinal loss to Boston. The Bucks had the NBA’s best record in 2022-23, but a back bruise caused Antetokounmpo to miss 2 ½ playoff games as Miami stunned Milwaukee in the first round.
Antetokounmpo missed the entire 2024 first-round playoff loss to Indiana with a calf strain. Damian Lillard tore his Achilles tendon in Game 4 of another first-round defeat against Indiana last year.
Milwaukee’s injuries this season weren’t limited to Antetokounmpo. Kevin Porter Jr., the Bucks’ second-leading scorer, played in only 36 games.
The Bucks often weren't even competitive this season as they missed the playoffs for the first time since 2016.
Milwaukee dropped 20 games by at least 20 points. According to Sportradar, they never before had more than 14 losses of at least 20 points in a single season.
The Bucks had 14 losses of at least 25 points — twice the previous franchise single-season high. They had eight defeats of at least 30 points, which also doubled the previous franchise record.
“Obviously when you have injuries to two of your top ball handlers like Giannis and KPJ, it kind of hurt us a lot,” forward Bobby Portis said. “And then all the outside noise as well kind of just took away from the team. Years before, things that were said or things we had internally that were about the team didn’t really get out to the media. There were a lot more dark clouds than in previous years.”
Bucks general manager Jon Horst has taken big swings plenty of times before that helped convince Antetokounmpo to stay.
Antetokounmpo signed an extension in 2021 after Horst added Jrue Holiday. Antetokounmpo signed another extension after the 2023 acquisition of Lillard.
After Lillard tore his Achilles, the Bucks took another gamble by waiving him and stretching out the remaining $113 million on his contract over the next five years. That gave them enough short-term cap flexibility to sign former Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner.
Horst now faces his biggest challenge yet as he tries to put together a roster strong enough to have Antetokounmpo believing he can contend for a title without changing teams.
“Money doesn’t mean nothing to me,” Antetokounmpo said. “Zero. Absolutely zero. What means something to me, it’s winning.”
___
AP Sports Writer Dan Gelston in Philadelphia contributed to this report.
___
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba
