The future of Giannis Antetokounmpo, the two-time NBA MVP, continues to keep the league’s 30 franchises on edge.
The Milwaukee Bucks star, whose contract comes to an end in 2021, has until December 21 to decide whether to accept the long-awaited ‘supermax’ contract extension, which would see him pen a five-year deal worth 247 million dollars. Any domino moves in the NBA will depend on that decision.
The Greek forward had conditioned his decision to remain in Wisconsin around the addition of new players who can help from day one.
The Bucks front office went out and traded for New Orleans Pelicans point guard Jrue Holiday and had an agreement for a sign-and-trade with Sacramento Kings shooting guard Bogdan Bogdanovic. It looked like the Bucks were about to secure 10/10 marks from Giannis.
Sources: After much anticipation, Giannis Antetokounmpo announces he's staying right where he's at (Greece). pic.twitter.com/U6qn6GdhNJ
— Better Woj (@BetterWoj) November 23, 2020
However, Bogdanovic revealed that he had never actually agreed to join the Bucks and later joined the Atlanta Hawks in free agency, so that has once again raised doubts about Antetokounmpo’s future in Milwaukee. In fact, according to Bleacher Report, the failure to land the Serbian guard has caused Giannis to lose confidence in the Bucks, who are beginning to see the possibility of a renewal slip away.
This possible departure has put the rest of the NBA franchise on alert, and especially the Los Angeles Lakers, who have already drawn up a plan to try and sign the 25-year-old next season. The first step has been the renewal of Kostas Antetokounmpo’s contract, a move which many have viewed as a strategy towards approaching the current league MVP.
According to Marca’s projection, the second step in the Lakers’ plan has to do with Anthony Davis. After announcing that he would enter free agency, the star big man warned the reigning NBA champions of his intention to be patient with the process of signing a new deal, although everything seems to indicate that he will stay. If Antetokounmpo does not sign agree to renew his contract, Davis would choose to sign a 1+1 deal to ensure that he becomes a free agent in 2021 like LeBron James, and they would then be able to try and recruit Giannis to the Lakers.
