Why the Giannis Antetokounmpo deal can trigger a full rebuild of the Milwaukee Bucks

After another first-round playoff exit from the Indiana Pacers, Giannis Antetokounmpo has a big decision to make a big decision about the future of the Milwaukee Bucks.

Giannis Antetokounmpo must ask for a transaction

It is well known that the Bucks will not trade Antetokounmpo unless they request a move. The Nine-time All-Stars signed with the team for two years and signed with the Player Options in 2027-28.

So hopefully the Milwaukee front desk won’t entertain the idea of ​​Giannis wanting to go out. We all saw what happened when LeBron James left the Cleveland Cavaliers and Kevin Durant demanded a Brooklyn trade.

Superstar deals like Giannis will have catastrophic consequences for the Bucks. Before the Greek freaks appeared, Milwaukee could only win one championship in 1971, and the franchise ended up in the 1974 NBA finals.

The only players left in the 2021 championship team are Antetokounmpo and Brook Lopez. Milwaukee trails only the Boston Celtics as the most winning regular season team since 2016-17.

There is no point in starting over at this point.

Bucks will start another championship drought without Giannis Antetokounmpo

Between 1990 and 2018, the Bucks entered the playoffs only 13 times, second only to the first round. They made progress in the 2001 Eastern Conference Finals before losing to the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 7.

Milwaukee has finished in the top ten in the NBA draft year after year, but that doesn’t matter. The Bucks finished the first pick in 1994 and chose Glenn Robinson. Then, they replaced Ray Allen in 1996.

The Bucks continue to try Marcus Haislip, Andrew Bogut, TJ Ford, Yi Jianlian, Joe Alexander, and Jabari Parker, among others. They threw everything on the wall, hoping that it would stick to it eventually.

In short, a team should not trade the best player ever for a setback. The foreground must be recombined and reloaded. The Bucks should give Giannis another victory.

Damian Lillard alone is not enough to win

Milwaukee Trade Giannis Antetokounmpo will trigger a rebuild as Damian Lillard will be the only star left in the roster. This is assumed that the Bucks will get a draft pick for role-player and kings ransom in exchange for two MVPs.

Additionally, Milwaukee will no longer be an attractive destination for free agents. This will be a problem for the new Bucks who lack talent and star power.

Then there is the fact that the Bucks lost three consecutive times in the first round of the playoffs.

The damage to Antetokounmpo in 2023 and 2024, Lillard’s blood clot, and then torn fatal weakness played a major role in Milwaukee’s recent playoff disappointment.

While Milwaukee can try to build around Lillard, one can easily think that the injury-prone star will be next. His Achilles tendon injury was a huge setback for the team.

General Manager Jon Horst won’t rebuild the roster from scratch after losing Giannis?

The Bucks have five potential free agents this offseason

Lillard will turn 35 in July and owe $113 million for the next two seasons, after recovering from the Achilles tear in the previous two seasons. Lopez, Taurean Prince, Bobby Portis, Gary Trent Jr. and Kevin Porter Jr. are all free agents this summer.

Without Lopez, the Bucks have a luxury tax of less than $23 million and sell for $41 million under the second apron. If Milwaukee re-signs the 37-year-old center, uses its $14.1 million non-tax intermediate exception and then fills the roster, the Bucks will be a luxury tax team for the sixth straight season.

Milwaukee has spent $220 million in tax penalties since 2019-20, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks. Three players (Pat Connaughton, Porter and Portis) have a choice in the contract. Connerton must choose his $9.4 million contract by June 24. Porter and Portis must choose by June 29.

Milwaukee has made 25 deals since Horst’s promotion in 2017

What’s more, the Bucks have made 25 deals since Horst launched in June 2017. In these trade agreements, Milwaukee acquired Eric Bledsoe, George Hill, Nikola Mirotic, Jrue Holiday, PJ Tucker, PJ Tucker, Grayson Allen, Serge Ibaka, Serge Ibaka, Jae Crowder, Lillard, Lillard, Lillard, Patrick Beverley and, more recently, Kuz, Kuz.

The deal has cost Milwaukee seven first-round picks, three years of draft picks and 18 second-round games over the past eight years. Milwaukee will bring a lot of rewards to Giannis, but how much does it cost?

The bucks must continue to be built around Antetokounmpo. That’s the way to go.

Milwaukee was successful at the end of the season when head coach Doc Rivers provided Antetokounmpo with quality shots from Trent, Porter and Green. The Bucks’ four players had a net rating of 55.2.