Fears Over Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Future Eliminated as Bucks Make 2-Word Roster Announcement

It has been an offseason full of question marks for the Milwaukee Bucks, and the biggest has revolved around the future of their talisman, Giannis Antetokounmpo. Despite the player himself indicating that he would love to stay, speculation has been rampant, with notable reporters such as Shams Charania claiming that the two-time MVP has indeed, seriously considered an exit. As a result, the Bucks had a simple agenda through the offseason: prove to the Greek Freak that they are committed to building a team around him capable of competing for the championship. However, progress has been minimal, and fans can even argue that the team has regressed.

Their second-best player in Damian Lillard has been waived, and with Myles Turner being the most notable addition thus far, Giannis has every right to continue to be worried. Amidst the uncertainty and with Giannis representing his nation at EuroBasket 2025, the Bucks may have made an announcement that brings an end to the speculation, at least for now.

The initial message came from none other than Thanasis Antetokounmpo, Giannis’ brother who last played for the franchise during the 2023-24 season. On Instagram, he posted a picture of himself wearing his 2021 NBA championship ring alongside his brother with the caption, “I’m back.” Thanasis sat out the 2024-25 season with a torn Achilles and is now rejoining the team he first signed for back in 2019, from Panathinaikos.

During this time, he still remain in touch with the NBA, regularly hosting stars on his Thanalysis podcast. The 33-year-old even declared himself fit to play on his podcast in May 2025, and has now committed to Milwaukee once again. And if fans were still doubtful, the Bucks’ official account confirmed the same with a simple comment on the post. “He’s Back,” they wrote.

Thanasis last played in the NBA during the 2024 playoffs, when the Bucks lost to the Indiana Pacers in the first round. He has already made his return to court for Greece, having contributed with 10 points in their three group stage games thus far at EuroBasket 2025. And while fans will be happy to see the 31-year-old making a return to the franchise, does it mean Giannis is set to stay? Shams certainly thinks so, even if nothing is set in stone.

For starters, the Bucks would have been unlikely to re-sign the player as a free agent had they not planned to keep Giannis. However, that was never under doubt. After all, only a franchise that has lost its way will even consider trading away their best International player (sorry, Mavs fans) out of their own volition.

However, after months of uncertainty surrounding Giannis and the fact that every team who could on paper afford him was linked, Thanasis’ return may be huge. After all, why will he re-sign with the franchise if Giannis was still intent on forcing a move away in what is left of the offseason?

This might be the clearest indication yet that the Greek Freak will be staying with his beloved organization. This is news that Bucks fans had been waiting months for, and it has finally come. Now, they can finally relax knowing that their superstar player is going nowhere this summer. However, while the Bucks have succeeded in keeping Giannis within their ranks for another season, have they made enough moves during the summer to ensure that they don’t end up here again next season?

Opinion: The Milwaukee Bucks will find themselves in the same position next offseason

Alas, the Milwaukee Bucks front office has finally done just enough to make Giannis Antetokounmpo stay for one more season after a disastrous 2024-25 campaign. But does that mean they won’t end up in a similar place next summer? Well, that’s a bit complex. It’s hard to tell whether the Bucks have improved much or not from last season. While they have acquired an elite big man in Myles Turner from free agency, they’ve also given up Damian Lillard to accommodate the former Indiana center.

But again, it’s a move they had to make given that Lillard would not be available for almost the entirety of the next campaign due to his Achilles injury. While Turner is a clear upgrade from the outgoing Brook Lopez as he’s younger and a more enhanced center option, Milwaukee haven’t done much else in the trade market.

They signed Thanasis Antetokounmpo, Cole Anthony, Chris Livingston, Jericho Sims, Taurean Prince, Kevin Porter Jr., and Mark Sears (two-way), while also re-signing Livingston after briefly waiving him. Further, Milwaukee also traded Pat Connaughton and two second-round picks to Charlotte for Vasa Micic. However, do these moves make them title contenders?

Not on paper, at least, not to mention that they are now in dire need of a point guard to replace Damian Lillard’s production.

Even though they have re-signed Kevin Porter Jr. on a two-year deal, the 25-year-old guard’s numbers are nowhere near Dame’s. At the same time, the other flaws within the roster still prevail. So, you could say that the Bucks might not make it much deeper into the playoffs this season as well, given that their roster hasn’t improved drastically. If anything, Dame’s absence might be a massive blow to their title hopes. So, unless they make several moves before the trade deadlines to bolster their ranks, they might not hold onto Giannis past this upcoming season.

Nonetheless, now that they’ve offered Thanasis a one-year $2.9 million deal, and know that Giannis Antetokounmpo won’t be leaving, at least for now. The Bucks might make a few moves that could land them amongst the contenders from the Eastern Conference, especially with Boston and Indiana being out of the picture. But will they be willing to gamble whatever little of the assets they have left? That’s something which will be worth keeping an eye on in the coming weeks.