The saga surrounding Giannis Antetokounmpo’s future with the Milwaukee Bucks grows more complicated by the day. The entire saga surrounding his availability highlighted the differences between him and the organization and forced the NBA to investigate the Bucks. It surely soured the relationship and has fueled the news around his departure from Milwaukee. However, former Bucks head coach Doc Rivers feels that the situation is more complicated than it appears.

Appearing on the April 17th episode of the Bill Simmons podcast, Rivers, who had recently parted ways with the Bucks, discussed a lot of things around the NBA, including Antetokounmpo’s future with the Bucks.

“The whole Giannis scenario, did he play, not play? It was tough,” Rivers stated. “And I saw it, as a coach, I could literally see it from both sides of it. And I really could. And when I talked to Giannis and we talked a lot, I told him that. It’s just where the human side of me is. The Bucs runoff has done an amazing job overall to win a title and to get there. They’re good people. And then you have Giannis, who I’m telling you is a good person. And they’re both over all this stuff. And I don’t think Giannis knows if he wants to stay or not. And I don’t know if the organization knows one way or not, either.”

Rivers added, “And it’s too bad because I just hope that part is figured out. When you win a title with someone, it’s like a blood transfusion, and that transfusion shouldn’t be broken. And that part is the one that I wanted to figure out. So it’s tough.”

The media also blew the reporting around the Greek Freak’s future out of proportion at the trade deadline, and in the past, Rivers has taken digs at ESPN’s Shams Charania, who was responsible for most of the reporting during that time.

Charania had filed a series of reports suggesting Antetokounmpo was actively seeking a trade away from Milwaukee, claims Rivers repeatedly pushed back on, calling them fabrications that poisoned the locker room atmosphere.

The reports affected the Bucks’ dressing room, as per Rivers, and he also called them out as lies multiple times in the past. The Bucks finished the season with a 32-50 record in the Eastern Conference, missing the playoffs entirely, which led to Rivers’ dismissal as head coach. He held the position for three years with the Bucks and finished with an underwhelming 97-103 record as Bucks boss.

Despite widespread speculation about Antetokounmpo’s potential departure from the Bucks, the two-time MVP ultimately stayed with the franchise. The team believed that waiting until the offseason to explore a trade would yield better returns, as other teams would have more assets available then.

It is a dynamic that has become increasingly familiar across the NBA. When Damian Lillard’s relationship with the Portland Trail Blazers deteriorated beyond repair in 2023, the prolonged uncertainty of that saga damaged Portland’s ability to plan for the future, ultimately forcing a trade that reshaped the Western Conference.

The Giannis situation carries many of the same hallmarks- a franchise cornerstone, a souring relationship, and a front office caught between loyalty and pragmatism.

However, there are rumors that the 31-year-old will probably stay put. This comes after Bucks veteran Bobby Portis said Antetokounmpo could remain in Milwaukee beyond the summer if the organization gives him input on the next head coaching hire.

The most significant flashpoint, however, came at the end of the regular season. Following the recent spat between Antetokounmpo and the Bucks, in which he publicly called out the franchise for shutting him down despite his fitness, significant friction developed between the two parties.

Antetokounmpo had suffered a left knee hyperextension and bone bruise earlier in the season, and as Milwaukee entered the final stretch of games, the two sides could not agree on his readiness to return.

That dispute triggered an NBA inquiry into potential tanking, while the Bucks maintained they lacked medical clearance to bring him back following a left knee hyperextension and bone bruise. The Bucks maintained that Antetokounmpo had not completed the 3-on-3 scrimmages required for medical clearance, a prerequisite the team said he had refused to participate in. Antetokounmpo flatly denied that account.

With both sides dug in, the relationship appears increasingly strained, making a long-term future in Milwaukee look unlikely.

Giannis Antetokounmpo doesn’t rule out staying in Milwaukee

Throughout the trade fiasco, Giannis Antetokounmpo never really admitted that he wanted to leave the franchise, and even now, following the availability fiasco with the Milwaukee Bucks, he is not ruling out the possibility of returning to the franchise.

Recently, in an interview with ESPN, he vented his frustration about the Bucks and not getting to play at the end of the regular season, even though he was fit to do so, according to him.

The situation clearly hurt Antetokounmpo, with some sources claiming that he was not up for scrimmages to return to action.

“At this point? Zero,” Antetokounmpo said when asked if he had control over his situation.

“I don’t have control. Being cleared to play, I don’t understand … from my understanding, coming back to play, which I don’t think I ever had any return-to-play protocol, but to my understanding was I had to play 3-on-3 to be able to be available to play. I did that multiple times. I’ve never in my life denied participation of practice. I don’t know who said that, who came up with that, but that’s disrespectful towards what I’ve done for this team and the way I carry myself my whole career, pretty much.”

Reporters also asked the two-time MVP about the friction between him and the Bucks and whether that could decide his future. Antetokounmpo didn’t rule out any possibility.

“We’ll see when we get there,” Antetokounmpo said. “We have [several] months [until then] … it’s a long time. But somebody has to offer you that, for you to sign. I haven’t been offered an extension. So, if that is on the table, then I will try to make the best decision for me and my family. But if it’s not on the table, then I have to focus on how can I improve my worth and get on the floor and do what I do.”

After all, it is the city that has made him the star he is, and he has shown genuine respect toward its fans even as the availability saga turned ugly. The ball, as Antetokounmpo made clear, is squarely in the front office’s court.

Rivers’ admission that neither side knows the next step paints a picture of a franchise in limbo, unable to commit to a direction while its cornerstone player waits for an offer that has yet to come.