Reigning MVP and Defensive Player of the Year Giannis Antetokounmpo sparked speculation about his future with the Milwaukee Bucks after unfollowing his teammates and the franchise on Instagram.
What We Know:
- Giannis Antetokounmpo allegedly unfollowed all of his Bucks teammates, except for his brother Thanasis, on Instagram. Taking a closer look, it appears that he has unfollowed almost everyone. According to Giannis’ Instagram page, he is only following eight accounts, all of which belong to his family members or his girlfriend.
- The rumor mill surrounding Giannis has been busy following the Bucks’ elimination from the playoffs. Giannis limiting his social circle on Instagram to just the closest people in his life probably means nothing, but the optics of it add to the fire surrounding his future in Milwaukee.
- We’ve seen situations similar to Giannis’ play out throughout NBA history with LeBron James and Kevin Durant. It’s becoming more common for star players to leave their original teams if they can’t get over the hump and win a championship. In Giannis’ case, the Milwaukee Bucks have been the best regular-season team in the league for the past two seasons, but have suffered embarrassing collapses in the playoffs. With his free agency coming up in the 2021 offseason, the whole league is watching to see what Giannis and the Bucks will do.
- Giannis and Bucks co-owner Marc Lasry had a meeting on Friday, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Reports from the meeting say that Lasry assured Giannis that the Bucks would do whatever it takes to deliver him a championship roster, including going into the luxury tax. Even though the Bucks supporting cast played well during the regular season, their performance during the playoffs has left something to be desired. Money won’t be the answer to everything, but being willing to spend on the right kinds of players will be the Bucks’ best chance to keep Giannis.
Giannis will be eligible for a supermax extension from the Bucks this offseason worth 35% of the salary cap – between $220 and $250 million over five years. The supermax was created so a player’s original team could offer them a significantly larger contract than any other team. Although the deal sounds sweet and several stars have signed it in recent years, it is not unheard of for players to turn it down.
