Giannis committed to Bucks, team reportedly won't trade him if he doesn't sign extension
With the Milwaukee Bucks' season over, their focus turns to the future of Giannis Antetokounmpo.
The reigning NBA MVP is eligible to sign a super-max extension with the Bucks this offseason, and multiple sources have been "adamant" that Milwaukee won't trade Antetokounmpo if he doesn't ink a deal, according to ESPN's Tim Bontemps.
Antetokounmpo said Tuesday night that he's committed to the Bucks.
"It’s not happening. That’s not happening," Antetokounmpo told Yahoo's Chris Haynes after Milwaukee was eliminated by the Miami Heat, a game he missed due to a sprained ankle.
"Some see a wall and go in (another direction). I plow through it. We just have to get better as a team, individually and get right back at it next season."
He continued: "If winning a championship was easy, everyone would have one. We lost. Everyone saw that we lost. It's disappointing, but what are we going to do? We're going to keep working. I've got confidence in my teammates."
An Antetokounmpo super-max contract with the Bucks could be worth approximately $220 million - roughly $80 million more than he could get from another team as a free agent in 2021. Those figures hinge on a projected 2020-21 NBA salary cap of $109.1 million.
If the Bucks don't re-sign the superstar or deal him prior to next season's trade deadline, they risk losing him for nothing as an unrestricted free agent in 2021.
Reports have circulated that the Heat and Toronto Raptors are considered front-runners to land Antetokounmpo if he leaves Milwaukee. Those two teams are currently forecasted to hold salary-cap space in 2021, but any trade involving Giannis would change that equation.