The Milwaukee Bucks need to show their superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo that they can consistently compete for an NBA title if they want to keep him around. Antetokounmpo made this clear in a recent interview with the New York Times.
Antetokounmpo said he won’t sign a contract extension with the Bucks this summer, despite being eligible to get one, as it “numbers-wise it doesn’t make sense.” The Bucs could offer Antetokounmpo a three-year, $173 million extension, in late September, but he can get an even more lucrative deal if he waits until next summer.
Still, even if the numbers sound right next summer, Antetokounmpo isn’t guaranteeing he’ll ink the deal.
“Next summer it would make more sense for both parties. Even then, I don’t know,” Antetokounmpo said. “I would not be the best version of myself if I don’t know that everybody’s on the same page, everybody’s going for a championship, everybody’s going to sacrifice time away from their family like I do. And if I don’t feel that, I’m not signing.”
Antetokounmpo and the Bucks won an NBA title in 2021, but it wasn’t the start of the dominant run that many believed it would be. Milwaukee only got to the second round the next year and then was eliminated by the No. 8-seeded Miami Heat in the first round of the 2023 NBA Playoffs.
After a disappointing two campaigns, the Bucks decided to fire head coach Mike Budenholzer and replace him with Toronto Raptors’ assistant Adrian Griffin.
