Reports: Giannis Antetokounmpo Is Ready To Leave Bucks Amid Rumors Of Him Joining Knicks

The start of the NBA season (as denoted by the opening of training camps) is less than three weeks away. Soon, we’ll be getting updates on what’s going on in the world of basketball. For the time being, though, the rumour mill is still spinning. And Giannis Antetokounmpo is once again in the spotlight.

Reports: Giannis Antetokounmpo Is Ready To Leave Bucks Amid Rumors Of Him Joining Knicks

Giannis acknowledged (or said) in the 48 Minutes podcast that if another team offered him a greater chance of winning a championship, he would choose that squad. Of course, the backdrop of this query was his future.

“As long as we play and approach the game the right way every single day and we all sacrifice for a common goal, I can see myself being with the Milwaukee Bucks for the rest of my career,” Antetokounmpo, 28, said.

“But the moment I feel like people are not committed as I am to get that golden thing in the back … I am a Milwaukee Buck, but most importantly, I am a winner. I’d want to win.

“I have to do whatever it takes for me to win, and if there is a better situation for me to win the Larry O’Brien [championship trophy] I have to take that better situation.”

This simply adds gasoline to the “Giannis possibly leaving Milwaukee” fire, as Giannis stated a similar thing a few weeks ago when he informed reporters that he wasn’t intending on signing an extension with the Bucks this offseason. Giannis wants to make sure the Bucks are the team that will provide him the best chance to win a championship.

Antetokounmpo, who has two years and a player option remaining on his current contract, will be available for a three-year, $173 million extension in September.

“At the end of the day I want to be a winner,” he said. “Contracts, fame … comfort zone, does not matter to me. What matters at the end of the day is [the Larry O’Brien trophy]… I don’t want to be able to get stuck in this lifetime to keep talking about the same story.”

Antetokounmpo also stated that he hasn’t played basketball since the offseason due to a knee operation.

“I’m getting slowly back on the court now, so hopefully I can be back and ready for training camp with the team and I can participate in the preseason games, because I miss it,” Antetokounmpo said.

“The last taste I have in my mouth is bitter from that game,” he explained, referencing the Bucks’ 128-126 Game 5 overtime loss to the Heat.

Giannis is putting pressure on the front office to get things in order, or else he will test free agency when he becomes eligible. That is precisely the purpose of free agency for elite players. Giannis should use his imminent free agency to his advantage.

 

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