One of the hottest topics, of course, apart from the Conference Finals, has been Giannis Antetokounmpo’s trade rumors. The Milwaukee Bucks had a terrible campaign, as they were dismantled by the Indiana Pacers in the first round of the playoffs for the second consecutive season. To top it all off, Damian Lillard suffered an Achilles injury that has cast a shadow on the team’s future.

This has led to the Greek forward for the first time in his career considering his options apart from Milwaukee, according to multiple sources. While many teams are rumored to be interested in the All-Star forward, nothing is clear yet. 

However, Milwaukee’s head coach has now revealed a private conversation between him and his star player. The team is set to meet Antetokounmpo and discuss his future with the franchise, however, Rivers has finally broken his silence on the situation. TMZ caught up with the Bucks head coach, as he admitted to speaking with Giannis all the time. “Guys, I’m not doing that,” Rivers said. “I talk to him all the time. You can move on now, thank you.” While he did not give much away, it seems like the trade rumors are a sensitive topic for the veteran coach.

Giannis Antetokounmpo has been the face of the franchise for several years now and helped the team win a title back in 2021. However, they haven’t been able to recapture that glory ever since and have failed miserably. While there has been no confirmation from the 30-year-old forward, if a move is to happen, it will require the team landing him to give up a lot of assets. There’s no doubt that Milwaukee is not going to let arguably its greatest player walk out the door. In fact, if the deal for Giannis Antetokounmpo goes through this summer, it might be the biggest one we’ve ever seen. 

Keeping that in mind, only a few teams can pull off a trade if the Greek star becomes available. One of the teams in the mix is the San Antonio Spurs, who have all the assets plus the salary cap to afford the two-time league MVP. Nonetheless, it remains to be seen if Milwaukee will trade Giannis Antetokounmpo or not, but it seems like they will only do so if Giannis himself says so. Hence, a huge summer awaits the Bucks as they have some key decisions to make that could change the future of this franchise. Meanwhile, the front office has taken a few steps for the team’s future. 

The Milwaukee Bucks take major steps for the future of the franchise

The Giannis Antetokounmpo trade buzz is running rampant, and despite remaining positive for several weeks, it seems the Milwaukee front office has given in. The Bucks looked optimistic about holding on to their superstar early into the offseason. However, now that things are not looking good, they might’ve planned to move on from the Greek Freak. This news comes after NBA journalist Grey Woelfel revealed their plans in case Giannis decides his time in Milwaukee is done. “I’ve been told by multiple sources the Bucks are taking steps in the event Giannis Antetokounmpo decides to move on.” He wrote on X. 

Woelfel stated that the Milwaukee Bucks are taking all the precautions possible as they gear up for the upcoming season. “One of those steps is bringing some projected top 8 draft prospects to Milwaukee before the June 25-26 NBA draft. The Bucks, as of now, don’t even have a first-round pick in this year’s draft.” This update is certainly going to raise a few eyebrows as it indicates that Milwaukee is getting ready for a future without Giannis Antetokounmpo. Moreover, Doc Rivers and Co. are also plotting to get younger and high-potential players in order to start the rebuilding process. 

Right now, the Bucks own no picks in this year’s draft, and their wage bill is huge. So, building through the draft or through free agency is not an option. However, that is until they trade away their franchise player and acquire some picks in this year’s draft. That can be the only way to explain why they are bringing in this year’s top draft prospects. It will be interesting to see how this Giannis Antetokounmpo situation develops, as there are a lot of question marks over the franchise’s future. Moreover, it would be worth watching which team acquires the All-NBA forward.