Giannis jokes he could be traded if Bucks struggle this season originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
The Giannis Antetokounmpo-to-the-Warriors dream might not be dead just yet.
On the heels of back-to-back disappointing campaigns, the Bucks superstar jokingly acknowledged he could be traded if Milwaukee delivers another underwhelming effort during the 2024-25 NBA season.
In an exclusive from The Athletic’s Sam Amick, Antetokounmpo grabbed a Bucks staffer before asking the team employee a blunt question.
“If we don’t win this year, would you get fired?” Antetokounmpo asked the staffer. “Do you have it in the back of your mind, like, ‘(What) if this year doesn’t go well?’ Yeah, if we don’t win a championship, I might get traded. Yeah, this is the job we live. This is the world we’re living in. It’s everybody.”
Antetokounmpo long has been linked to Golden State, with the speculation increased further by the two-time MVP’s open admiration for Warriors superstar Steph Curry.
After winning the NBA Finals in 2021, Milwaukee hasn’t fared well in the postseason, with the Bucks being eliminated in the first round in each of the last two seasons.
Milwaukee has experienced plenty of change over the couple of seasons, pulling off a blockbuster trade for All-NBA point guard Damian Lillard and bringing in a respected coach in Doc Rivers. However, the Bucks’ moves did little to change their playoff fortunes, creating added pressure for Antetokounmpo and the only NBA team he’s ever known.
While it would take a monumental turn of events for Milwaukee to trade the two-time MVP, perhaps there is a layer of truth — and underlying concern — behind Antetokounmpo‘s statement that appeared to be made in jest.
Could Golden State ultimately be the team that winds up with Antetokounmpo should a trade materialize? It wouldn’t be the first time the Warriors stunned the NBA world with a blockbuster addition of a former MVP.
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