NBA Rumors: ESPN hints Giannis Antetokounmpo is likely to leave Bucks?

NBA Rumors: ESPN insider hints that there’s a growing chance that Giannis Antetokounmpo will end up leaving the Milwaukee Bucks when his contract expires.

At least for now, all eyes around the NBA remain squarely on Damian Lillard and the Portland Trail Blazers. With the start of training camp around the corner, that’s still the next big move that many are expecting to see come to fruition.

However, after that, there’s a very good chance that once the Lillard situation is resolved, many eyes will begin to shift to Giannis Antetokounmpo and his future with the Milwaukee Bucks.

On the BehindthePlay Podcast, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst gave voice to the fact that there’s a growing chance that Giannis will end up leaving the Bucks after his contract ends. In his words, he says there’s a 50/50 chance at best that he stays with the Bucks after his contract expires in 2025.

That leaves me to believe that, at least for now, there’s a growing expectation to a certain extent that Giannis is going to leave the Bucks during the 2025 free agency period, if not traded before. If it wasn’t already clear, that only makes this NBA season that much more important for Milwaukee.

Make no mistake, if Giannis does reach free agency in 2025, there will be plenty of suitors waiting to pounce on arguably the best player in the NBA.

Could the Milwaukee Bucks trade Giannis?

As the noise surrounding Giannis potentially leaving the Bucks in a couple of seasons, it’s only a matter of time before the Giannis trade watch begins. At least in my opinion, there’s really only one scenario that could spark that from happening sooner rather than later – and that’s if the Bucks have another disappointing season this year.

If the Bucks lose in the first or second round of the playoffs again, the trade whispers surrounding Giannis are only going to grow. If the Bucks don’t make a return to the conference finals for three straight seasons after winning their first NBA Championship, that’s not going to be a great look as they try to convince Giannis to sign an extension next summer.

And if Giannis continues to play the waiting game when it comes to potentially signing an extension, all bets are off.

I’m not saying the Bucks are going to trade Giannis but this is the first time in a very long time that it’s at least a remote possibility to happen in the next calendar year.