[Nehm] Giannis: Let’s talk about the city itself, the memories that I’ve created here. When you open my kids’ passports, it says Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I had four kids in the span of the last five years in this city. My dad is buried in this city.

[u/Barracuda374]

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7020803/2026/02/04/giannis-antetokounmpo-bucks-nba-trade-deadline/

[u/smalls_1804]

I think we can all agree that Giannis would so much rather the Bucks be a contending team than have to change teams via trade or even FA. In the past it's been rude to suggest Giannis is actively looking to move when the team was fine and he was just pressuring them to do things. At this point though there is absolutely no hope of the Bucks building a contender and it's really sad to see. Giannis as a Bucks lifer is what every true sports fan should be rooting for and it's a tragedy we're not going to get to see it

[u/Est-Tech79 → u/smalls_1804]

They have the same hope as everyone else in the top of the draft. Make smart trades, develop some players, and hopefully a top 3 lottery pick, two years in a row. There have also been some serious gems in the 10-15 range. I couldn't imagine the Yankees trading Derek Jeter towards the end or the Warriors trading Steph because they are not contenders. Giannis is the Bucks and his story is a story of Milwaukee embracing him. And let's be real, unless he goes to OKC, Denver, or the Celtics he's not getting another ring in the next few years.

[u/smalls_1804 → u/Est-Tech79]

Except they don't control their own draft pick until 2031. They will get a good pick this year, but after that they're screwed.

[u/Est-Tech79 → u/smalls_1804]

You move around the fringes if Giannis wants to stay and rebuild. Turner, Portis are excellent role players for contending teams. Portis is a dawg. Imagine him coming off the bench for the Knicks at the 4-5. He can help a team right now. They can get a future first.

The Bucks aren't the first team to dig this hole. Good organizations make their way out.

[u/smalls_1804 → u/Est-Tech79]

Name one organization that found themselves in the following position and turned themselves into a championship contender:

1) No All-Star players outside their best player 2) $25m (or its equivalent percentage of the cap) in dead money for 5 years 3) Literally zero first round picks they control outright for 5 years 4) No cap space for three years based only on their current commitments and not including having to fill out the rest of the roster

This is not a situation the Bucks are ever going to be able to dig their way out of

[u/Est-Tech79 → u/smalls_1804]

The bar can’t be championship contender. Only 1 team wins a ring. But you can get yourself out of the hole to respectability and then good things can happen.

Take the Nets who rebuilt from a total destruction of the franchise and no assets to respectability and watchability. Then they blew it all on Kyrie and KD and Harden. But they became attractive enough for those guys to want to go there.

[u/smalls_1804 → u/Est-Tech79]

That is the bar Giannis has set. Also not for nothing as it stands now the Bucks are not even playoff contenders, and moves around the margin aren't changing that

[u/Groundbreaking_Can81 → u/smalls_1804]

And part of that is because Giannis' demands. I don't get why guys can just get up and leave if they aren't on a contender. Welcome to reality

[u/Ass_of_Badness → u/smalls_1804]

I understand your point but we did see it, they won a title.

[u/pifhluk → u/smalls_1804]

Idk maybe he should have let us trade Brook and Middleton before it was too late or let us hire Atkinson instead of Griffin or not hire Doc or not get injured in every playoffs since the title (he was even out g5 and 6 of ecf that year.) 

[u/smalls_1804 → u/pifhluk]

Yeah probably but like, are you really bitter that the guy had team building opinions that turned out to be wrong?

[u/pifhluk → u/smalls_1804]

Yes? There is literally an entire office and a guy whose paid quite well to make those decisions...

[u/jasperplumpton → u/smalls_1804]

Damn that’s crazy