Alex Salazis, co-managing director of Basketball at Octagon Sports and Giannis Antetokounmpo’s U.S.-based agent, and the Milwaukee Bucks superstar have decided to discuss his immediate and long-term future with the organization again.
This is a unique situation in that it’s a mid-season public announcement – as the Bucks prepare to take on the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday, December 3 at 7 pm at Feather Forum. Similar conversations happen every year in the offseason and will happen again before the start of this season.
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ESPN initially reported their decision, saying agents and players expected to find a resolution “in the coming weeks.”
That statement was a pivot point for Antetokounmpo’s public statement in training camp on Oct. 8: “I’m locked in. I’m locked in to this team. I’m locked in to these guys, this team, my coaching staff and myself.”
But it’s just the latest move in dissatisfaction with the team’s direction.
When the Bucks fell into a seven-game losing streak in late November, Antetokounmpo deleted all content related to Milwaukee and the Bucks from his social media accounts. He missed 4.5 of those games after suffering an injury on Nov. 17.
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After a disappointing loss to the Wizards on Dec. 1, he chose not to speak to a small group of reporters in Washington and instead sat quietly in the locker room for some time.
Milwaukee has lost eight of its last nine games and 10 of its last 13 games to go 9-13. they are 11 years oldth In the Eastern Conference, it’s two games behind Chicago in the race for the final play-in spot and four games behind Cleveland in the race for the sixth and final playoff spot.
Antetokounmpo will make $54 million this season and will make $58.4 million under team control in the 2026-27 season. He has a $62.7 million player option for 2027-28, but star players don’t typically take up those options.
Antetokounmpo is eligible for another four-year, $275 million max contract extension in October. In order to retain his rights with another team, he would have to be traded.
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During the offseason, Antetokounmpo and Bucks coach Doc Rivers acknowledged that the Bucks and New York Knicks had conversations about trading the two-time MVP to the Knicks in August. Two team sources familiar with the situation told the Journal Sentinel over the summer that Antetokounmpo never formally requested a trade during the offseason.
The day after ESPN broke the news, Antetokounmpo said: “First of all, I haven’t read that story,” Antetokounmpo began. “When the season started, I tried to get off social media and focus on my skills and my team. But, yeah, I’ve said it many times, I want to be in a position to win, and now I’m here. I believe in this team. I believe in my teammates. I’m here to lead this team wherever we can go, and it’s definitely going to be difficult. We’ll take it day by day, but I’m here. So, all the other extra stuff is okay.
“I think I’ve communicated with my teammates, communicated with the people that I respect and love, that when I step on this court or this facility, I’m wearing this jersey, the rest of it doesn’t matter. I’m bound by what’s in front of me. Now, if in six or seven months, I change my mind, I think that’s human nature as well, you can make whatever decision you want.”
Antetokounmpo added that he hopes the Oct. 8 interview will “put an end to reports” about his offseason activities. A few weeks later, when the Knicks came to Milwaukee, he addressed the trade report again, saying, “I didn’t read that article. I try to stay away from all those rumors, what do you call it, speculation and trades and all that. It doesn’t worry me at all. I try to keep myself involved and try to help my team win games.”
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More: What does Giannis mean when he yells “This is my city!” Bucks beat Knicks?
He then joked that he didn’t have time to let such things distract him.
Check back as the story develops
This article originally appeared in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Giannis Antetokounmpo, agent to discuss near-term future with Bucks
