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via Imago

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Somebody call the basketball gods—they’ve clearly put Milwaukee on hard mode. Because what the Bucks just pulled off feels less like strategy and more like a fever dream. They handed Myles Turner $107 million, which raised eyebrows. But then they stretched Damian Lillard’s $113 million deal like it was pizza dough. Who does that? Chaos didn’t knock. It crashed through the roof. And in the rubble stands Giannis Antetokounmpo, possibly wondering if he’s the last sane one left.

Milwaukee went full mad scientist. They yanked Turner from the only court he’d ever called home and threw an outrageous fortune at Lillard, all to spark one last fire under a flickering dynasty. Some called it genius. Others stared in disbelief, wondering if someone spiked the front office’s coffee. Sure, the spreadsheet squad might be proud of their wild formula. But while the calculators clicked, jaws dropped. Because risking five years of cap sanity for one chaotic swing? That’s a headline move. Headline move or an “idiotic” one, as Bill Simmons considered on his podcast.

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Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Milwaukee Bucks face severe backlash for offseason trade decisions

Bill Simmons didn’t just raise eyebrows—he practically set the mic on fire. Joined by Rob Mahoney on his show, the 55-year-old unleashed pure fury at Milwaukee’s latest gamble. Desperate? Try unhinged. And he’s not the only one throwing shade. Rival execs told ESPN it was reckless. Simmons, though? He made it sound like a basketball crime scene.

“I thought what Milwaukee did was one of the most desperate, reckless moves that I could ever remember since I’ve been a basketball fan; I hated it. I don’t understand it, and I think it’s a disaster,” Simmons went all-out. He added, “I didn’t approve of any single aspect of it. Carrying the damn stretch thing for five years? Idiotic. Doing it for Myles Turner? I have no idea why they would do that.”

Moreover, the veteran couldn’t figure out one thing, and that is, why the Bucks aren’t just trading Giannis Antetokounmpo? The franchise seems desperate to pay $47M, $49M, $50M, and $51M for Myles Turner in the next four years. “And then on top of that, another $22 million in the fifth year when he’s not even on the team! If that’s the only recourse you have, if that’s how desperate you are to keep Giannis, I’m trading Giannis at that point,” Bill chipped in. “I’m folding my hand. I just don’t get it. This doesn’t make them a top-four team in the East. I’m only doing this if I’m a top-four team in the East, and I’m not. So why am I doing this?”

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Myles Turner, fresh off a standout 2024-25 season—15.6 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.0 blocks, and 1.5 assists in 30.2 minutes with 48-40-77 shooting—now calls Milwaukee home. Though he wished to stay in Indiana, the franchise’s tax fears, especially post-Haliburton’s injury, ended talks. With a player option for 2028-29 and a full 15 percent trade kicker, Turner arrives ready to anchor Giannis Antetokounmpo’s next big chapter. That is, if Giannis has a next chapter. Because, if he leaves, then as Rob Mahoney puts it, “Their future without Giannis is already cooked. This is a team that’s going to be so bad in the short term if they do trade him.”

The Milwaukee Bucks stared into the abyss and chose chaos. Even trading Giannis for top-tier talent wouldn’t have changed their grim forecast, so they doubled down. Risk? They embraced it. Overleveraged? Absolutely. It’s like mortgaging your mortgage and smiling through it. That kind of desperation makes sense when the house is on fire and you’re still lighting candles.

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Is Milwaukee's wild gamble a stroke of genius or a recipe for disaster?

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But here’s the real shocker. Through years of armchair GM theories and trade machine gymnastics, no one floated the idea of stretching Damian Lillard’s monster deal. It wasn’t whispered. It wasn’t even memed. Then suddenly, Dame’s contract is stretched, and Myles Turner lands in Milwaukee. The twist? It somehow worked. Wildly risky. Completely unexpected. And yet, kind of genius—if it keeps Giannis from packing his bags.

A move to the Houston Rockets? Is that even possible for the Greek Freak?

The Bucks could’ve kept Brook Lopez for $20 million and paired him with Dame for $61 M. Instead, they chose Turner and a stretched Dame at $47 M. Saved $ 14 million, sure. But lost cap flexibility and bet on vibes. However, if this keeps the Greek Freak on the roster, then madness seems like the only method. Meanwhile, whispers in the NBA think that Giannis Antetokounmpo’s move to the Houston Rockets could be a possibility. Well, the offseason isn’t ending any time soon, and last-minute blockbusters are never off the chart. So, who knows, right?

Houston’s stacking spree—Dorian Finney-Smith, Clint Capela, wings galore—felt like a silent drumroll for a three-for-one Giannis chase. Throw in Tari Eason and Amen Thompson, and you have the concoction needed for the trade to happen. However, the Bucks pulled off the Dame-Myles show. So, imagine Giannis looking at all of this and saying, “You guys did it. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to stay, but now that we have Myles Turner and now that we have no cap, now we have a bad cap situation—yeah, I guess I’ll stay.”

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Two guaranteed years of Giannis. One full season and the next. Is that worth stretching Damian Lillard’s deal and setting fire to cap space? That’s the question. Because if the Greek Freak gives you 730 days of title dreams, maybe the price isn’t crazy. “I think I still would have traded with Houston, but I think it’s a valid point. If he promised like, ‘I will stay here for the next two years if you do this,’ I’m just still dubious that he was holding a gun to their heads,” Bill Simmons explained. “He never said anything publicly. I know there’s been a lot of buzz privately, but he never said one thing. What’s really scary, if you’re a Bucks fan, is maybe they didn’t do this to appease Giannis. Maybe they just thought this was a good idea. That’s where I would be really scared.”

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Houston’s cooking something wild. Their roster? Loaded like a Vegas buffet. Sengun, Capela, Adams, and Jock Landale up front. Durant, Jabari Smith, and Finney-Smith on the wings. Then throw in Amen Thompson, Eason, Whitmore, VanVleet, and Reed Sheppard in the backcourt. That’s talent spilling off the bench. But here’s the kicker—there are only 240 minutes to go around. Someone’s sitting. Or more likely, someone’s getting packaged for something massive.

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And that’s the real twist. This isn’t random hoarding. It smells like a setup for a blockbuster. Houston has depth in every spot and more tradable pieces than a Monopoly board. Simmons sees the smoke. He’s calling a three-for-one trade on the horizon—December, January, maybe February. They’re gearing up for something loud. Maybe it’s Giannis. Maybe it’s someone else. But one thing’s clear: Houston’s planning to strike while the league’s still guessing.

So here we are—Giannis Antetokounmpo at the center, the Milwaukee Bucks in chaos, and the Houston Rockets lurking like a shark in silk. The Bucks bet the house, the future, and the spreadsheet on one wild swing. Maybe it saves the dynasty. Maybe it burns it down. Either way, the league’s watching, popcorn in hand, waiting for the next thunderclap.

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"Is Milwaukee's wild gamble a stroke of genius or a recipe for disaster?"

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