For most of this past offseason, the most talked-about NBA topic was whether or not Giannis Antetokounmpo was going to ask for a trade away from the Bucks, the only NBA team he’s ever known. That never came to pass, and although the topic has lingered into the season, it looks like Giannis, who recently came back from a calf strain and has helped the Bucks go 4-2, isn’t going anywhere.
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That’s apparently true not just this season, but beyond, because the Greek Freak recently told The Athletic’s Sam Amick in very clear terms that he will never come out and request a trade.
Will that stop the rumor mill from churning out content? Probably not. Giannis’ star is too big to be ignored. And with many teams supposedly readying themselves to make a run at him, there’s no way the rumors will die down, especially if the Bucks don’t surround their franchise cornerstone with a better supporting cast.
On today’s episode of No Fouls Given, Danny Green and Paul Pierce discussed Giannis’ situation, and why they think he finally came out and attempted to quash the rumors once and for all.
“I believe that it’s not his nature to do it that way,” Green said.He however made it a point to add, “but I don’t believe he won’t request it. We’ve seen throughout the last couple years of him wanting to go to New York … There’s been a lot of rumblings, and where there’s smoke, there’s fire. Ain’t nobody just pulling this s*** out of thin air, out of nowhere.”
Green said that Giannis’ proclamation won’t end well if he does ever end up requesting a trade. He also speculated that maybe the Knicks weren’t and aren’t ready to make a move for him just yet. Pierce had an alternative explanation. “I think Giannis is afraid of what people might think of him,” he said. “That’s how it comes off.”
We’ve seen certain players, such as James Harden and Jimmy Butler, force their way off of teams and leave on bad terms, but Pierce believes that Giannis isn’t the type to do something like that. Pierce, however, also stated that Giannis had already done more than enough for the Bucks with two MVPs and an NBA title in 2021, to be forever loved and celebrated.
“I see that with a lot of players in the league now, that they all want to be liked by everyone,” Pierce said. “Sometimes you have to be like, ‘Man, this is it,’ and take a stance because it’s your career, it’s your life, and if you’re not happy, then hey, come out and say it.”
Pierce is probably right about Giannis wanting to be liked. With one of the most winning personalities and highest Q scores in the league, he’s never set out to portray himself as any kind of villain. But Pierce may be missing the answer to a simple question — What if Giannis is actually happy in Milwaukee?
His wife and he have embraced the city of Milwaukee and done so much good work in the community. He’s connected with his team’s fans about as much as anyone in the league this side of Steph Curry. Is that not enough?
People have compared Giannis to someone like Kevin Garnett, who spent years toiling away on the Timberwolves when he could have easily forced his way out. Eventually he did move on to Boston, and he finally won a title there. Giannis already has a ring, so why shouldn’t he be happy if he loves where he is?
Giannis could spend the next 10 years with the Bucks and finish his career there, and people will still be speculating about what he should do that whole time. As Pierce said, it’s his career and his life. Let’s all let him live it.
