“It’s like any star in the league that stays with one team, you just expect them to be in one jersey, and anywhere else just doesn’t seem right at all,” said Brandin Podziemski on a potential Giannis Antetokounmpo trade. Even players from rival teams didn’t entertain the belief that ‘The Greek Freak’ could be anywhere else but with the Milwaukee Bucks. However, with the team getting eliminated in the first round of the playoffs 3 years in a row, it is not too crazy to think that Giannis might be looking for a change. As a result, people haven’t stopped shutting down the rumors. Now, Doc Rivers has also joined that group.

The Milwaukee Bucks head coach was a guest on the recent episode of ‘The Bill Simmons Podcast’. Having Doc Rivers right in front of him allowed Simmons to take a dig and state, “Giannis is on eBay now”. Rivers did not waste any time in shutting down the ‘Giannis Trade’ talk by stating, “It’s so ridiculous, and I’ve heard all these, you hear all this stuff. And, no but you don’t like it, you know, when you hear it, because you know it’s not true, Bill, and…. but it’s still like your players hear, and everybody else hears it”.

The players are certainly hearing it. After all, Doc Rivers’ remarks came less than a day after Bobby Portis touched base on the rumors.

The Bucks’ starting Center had earlier been interviewed on the ‘Run It Back’ podcast and, as expected, had been asked about Giannis’s status. Bobby Portis reminded people that the 2x MVP had been with the team for a “decade-plus”, and had “done so much for a city—low-key, like, basketball in Milwaukee wasn’t really a thing until Giannis became who he is”. Portis believed that no player would be willing to let this kind of legacy be a faded memory by shifting to another team. Therefore, for him, the Bucks is the only place Giannis will choose to call home for the long run.

“So when you put that much effort into a franchise, that much trust and belief, and you’ve been loyal for so long… Like I said—my whole point—I just feel like he bleeds green, man. No matter what’s reported, no matter what might come to the threshold… Like, would you really want to see Giannis in Toronto as a basketball fan? You know what I’m saying?” Portis added. He concluded his answer by adding, “So me personally? Nah, man. I don’t really see any movement happening. I think he’s staying put with the Bucks”.

There is no denying that, even 2 decades from now, Giannis Antetokounmpo will be regarded as the most impactful athlete to play for the Milwaukee Bucks. He led the team to their first NBA championship in 50 years, as seen through his Finals MVP honor. His on-court dominance helps give the Milwaukee Bucks a name as a playoff contender. On top of that, having been with the team since 2013, it is hard to imagine a Bucks in which the ‘Greek Freak’ is not there. No one expressed this better than Knicks legend Carmelo Anthony, who once said that “Giannis built Milwaukee. This new Milwaukee 2.0? Giannis built that. He won with that. He built that from the ground up. New arena, new environment, everything Milwaukee has shot up is because of that. You cannot just get rid of that”.

Giannis himself would understand that. However, the player wants to build up his legacy, too. He highlighted that desire during an episode of the ‘Thanalysis Show’, stating that “Everybody plays to win, but me not having a second championship – I look back at my career, and everybody can say ‘Oh incredible career, active Hall of Famer, first ballot, whatever. But me, my personal goal, if I am not able to help my team win a second ring, I’m letting down myself. I really want to win a second one”. Given the Bucks’ run over the last 3 years, that dream remains far from reality.

The only way the Bucks can improve is to make changes within the roster. However, the team does not wish to do that at the expense of losing their best player, either through a trade or by his own free will. Fortunately, there might be a plan in place.

NBA Insider highlights Bucks’ pitch to make Giannis Antetokounmpo take “a gap year”: “You’ve got some flexibility”

The Milwaukee Bucks have made it clear that they are not prepared to cut ties with the ‘Greek Freak’. NBA senior writer Chris Mannix touched base on this during his conversation with Kevin O’Connor earlier this month. He also revealed that “Every time I check in with someone in the organization, I keep getting told ‘Yes, they’re going to convene. They’re going to have a kind of a come-to-Jesus moment, um, with Giannis, with the front office.’”

A private front office meeting with the ‘Greek Freak’ to put out all concerns and discuss a long-term stay is intriguing. If Mannix is to be believed, the front office already has a plan to make Giannis stay on. A plan that, ironically, will require him to leave. However, only for a while.

“Most people I’ve talked to believe the sales pitch will be, you know, hey, a gap year next year,” said Mannix. “You know, where you just claw your way maybe to 500, and then, when you get to the summer of 2026, you’ve got some flexibility in terms of your payroll, you’ve got some flexibility in terms of draft picks you can deal, that’s when they can make their move again”.

Not having Giannis for a year can impact the Milwaukee Bucks’ position on both the points table and financially. After all, NBA fans might not be convinced enough to spend money on home games if the team’s best player is not there. Fortunately, according to Mannix, “there are people in Milwaukee that believe that they’ve earned enough equity with Giannis given what they’ve done over the last 6 years to at least get him to listen, and to consider it”.

Giannis Antetokounmpo has all the advantage here. He has the trust of his coach and teammates, the attention of the front office, and the power to make demands as he sees fit. All at the price of ensuring he continues adding to his legacy through the Bucks. The outcome of all this will be interesting to watch.