Antetokounmpo already has a suitor amid unclear Bucks future
Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo hasn't expressed his desire to leave the franchise, but following a first-round exit from the 2023 NBA Playoffs and the firing of head coach Mike Budenholzer, uncertainty is in the air.
The New York Knicks are already monitoring the situation, according to Brian Windhorst of ESPN.
Antetokounmpo, 28, has a contract extension coming up in September, and while discussing Milwaukee's future Friday during an appearance on "First Take," Windhorst revealed the Greek Freak's first suitor.
"The New York Knicks for example, they have got 97 percent of their attention on the Miami Heat [in the Eastern Conference semifinals playoff series], and three percent of their attention on Milwaukee," Windhorst said. "What's going on over there?"
Bucks managed to become the No. 1 seed throughout the regular season before crashing in the playoffs against the eighth-seeded Heat.
Antetokounmpo suffered a back injury in Game 1 against Miami and missed the next two contests. He also criticized the lack of adjustments made by the coaching staff.
Losing Giannis would be a franchise-altering move, which Windhorst compared to when the Cleveland Cavaliers lost LeBron James.
"Now, I was in Cleveland with LeBron James," Windhorst said. "LeBron James was a nonrenewable resource for Cleveland. He walks out the door, he's not coming back. In Milwaukee, Giannis Antetokounmpo is a nonrenewable resource... When Kareem [Abdul-Jabbar] left [Milwaukee], they didn't go back to the [NBA] Finals for over 40 years.
"So I would say that the Bucks might do everything they possibly can and exhaust themselves to keep this together, but I don't know what's going to happen, and that uncertainty is one of the biggest storylines in the NBA."
Antetokounmpo could be waiting to see how the organization handles his teammates' contracts before making a decision on an extension, per Windhorst.
Bucks guard Jrue Holiday recently stated that he would like to retire when his current contract ends in a couple of years, which could also play a part in Antetokounmpo's decision to stay or leave.
"There is no indication that [Antetokounmpo] has given that he wants to leave, but if he doesn't extend, it's a major red flag for what's going on with the organization [Milwaukee]," Windhorst said. "And he's going to sit there and watch whether they sign [Brook] Lopez and [Khris] Middleton and I'm not sure they're going to be able to do it.
"Are they going to have the same team, are they going to lay out hundreds of millions in taxes for Middleton and Lopez? I don't know. Is Giannis going to extend? I don't know. And that uncertainty is what the league is watching right now."
Windhorst also suggested on "Get Up" that former Bucks owner Marc Larsy sold the franchise in February because he predicted the organization would soon be in trouble.
