NBA fans have been treated to some pretty impressive displays of basketball lately. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has confirmed why he took home his first MVP award in leading the Thunder to within a game of the Finals. Tyrese Haliburton has his Pacers in the same position after his never-before-seen, turnover-free triple-double last night.
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Even as these two have saved their best for when the games matter most, there’s one name that’s top of mind around the league, and it’s not even someone who’s still playing. It’s Giannis Antetokounmpo, because everyone wants to know whether he’s going to stay in Milwaukee or seek a trade elsewhere.
It seems that everybody has an opinion on what Giannis should do, but as of now, we still don’t know exactly what’s going through the Greek superstar’s mind. He did meet with the team about a week ago to discuss the direction of the franchise, though it doesn’t appear that he requested a trade in that meeting.
That hasn’t stopped everyone from firing up the trade machine in order to get him to Houston, San Antonio, Brooklyn, or any number of other potential destinations. Everyone with a microphone seems to want Giannis to move on from the only franchise he’s ever known in order to give himself a better shot at a second ring, but as of yesterday, there’s one notable exception.
Rapper, actor, and Big3 co-founder Ice Cube appeared on the official Milwaukee Bucks podcast, and he was asked what effect it would have on Giannis’ legacy whether he stayed or left.
“If he bounce and get more championships, I don’t think that can hurt his legacy,” he said. “But if he stay and get more championships in Milwaukee, his legacy, to me, will be bigger. That’s the right way to do it.”
Giannis is still just 30, and Ice Cube feels like, especially with him already having won a ring, he doesn’t need to be chasing championships while he’s still in his prime.
“At the end of your career, chasing a championship is fine, there’s nothing wrong with that,” the Friday star said. “If you’re still young, and you’re still the piece, you want people to come play with you and bring championships where you are, not relocate.”
Cube is one of the few who are readily supporting the status quo. Giannis staying in Milwaukee and winning more titles would definitely be better for his legacy. But the question remains, can he actually win another championship with the Bucks?
It might take time for Giannis to find himself on a true contender, either way
The Bucks have tried to surround Giannis with championship-level talent in recent years, but since they won the title in 2021, those moves have fallen flat. The acquisition of Damian Lillard hasn’t worked out, letting Jrue Holiday go was clearly a mistake, and the rest of the roster hasn’t aged well around him.
Even when the Bucks attempted to get younger and more athletic this season by trading Khris Middleton for Kyle Kuzma, it blew up in their faces. Now Giannis has to contemplate staying on a team that, with Lillard set to miss most if not all of next year, isn’t in a position to improve from this year’s fifth-place finish in the East.
If he does leave, it could still be tricky, as any team acquiring him will likely need to sell the farm to do so. This could put him in the same kind of position he’s in now, as the centerpiece of a depleted roster with no plan to challenge the top teams in the league outside of “Save us, Giannis.”
There’s no way of knowing if the Giannis drama will drag out all summer, or if we’ll get a definitive answer to his future plans sooner than that. Until we do, this will continue to be the biggest storyline in the league.
