Giannis Antetokounmpo’s name constantly featured in the trade market during the mid-season trade period, but he remained loyal to the Milwaukee Bucks whenever asked about his plans. After no news on the Greek Freak’s movement by the February 5 deadline, it was reported that things were fine between the forward and the team management. However, now, one of his longtime teammates has opened up about his situation.
The Bucks forward Bobby Portis featured in a recent episode of the Run It Back podcast and talked about the team and its plans for this and the coming seasons. Talking about Antetokounmpo’s future with the team, host DeMarcus Cousins asked him to rate the possibility of the Greek forward coming back to Milwaukee next season, from 1 to 10.
Portis did not seem confident in the possibility and thus chose a “5” to reply to the question. He said:
“I’m at a 5, right there in the middle…it’s up in the air. Obviously, our goal just isn’t to make the play in or to make the playoffs, since I’ve been here, since 2020, the goal has always been championships.”
Portis went on to explain the team’s mindset. He added that the issue will be addressed in the offseason or after the team gets eliminated.
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Even though ESPN analyst Shams Charania was heavily criticized for pushing the idea of Antetokounmpo getting traded, Portis’ statement seems to be in line with previous reports. It’s possible that the team decided to stay put until other teams have better deals to offer in the offseason and will have the conversation again when the season ends.
Giannis Antetokounmpo returns to the Bucks roster
Amid the talks of his trade away from the Bucks, Giannis Antetokounmpo was sidelined due to a right calf strain. The Bucks have an 11-19 record without the 10-time NBA All-Star in the lineup. He was out of the rotation for the entire February and returned on March 2 against the Boston Celtics.
The Bucks have lost two games since he returned, but registered a win against the Utah Jazz, 113-99. Antetokounmpo scored 27 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists. However, he was again rested for injury management in the last game against the Orlando Magic, which the team lost in a blowout manner, 91-130.
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