Giannis Antetokounmpo denies talking to Bucks about future with team, but his agent could be another story

Trade speculation has surrounded Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks for weeks now, ever since a report came out that the former MVP was talking to the team about his future with the franchise.

The situation wasn’t helped by a lack of communication from the man himself. Not long after the news broke, Antetokounmpo suffered a calf strain and didn’t speak to reporters again until Thursday.

Announcement

There was a lot to talk about with the Bucks sitting at 11-16, but trade rumors were inevitable. In response to a question about the reported conversations, Antetokounmpo denied any role in the talks and indicated that his agent Alex Saratsis was handling them without his input:

“If my agent talks to the Bucks about it, that’s his person. He can have any conversation he wants about it. At the end of the day, I don’t work for my agent, my agent works for me. There will be conversations that will be had between him and the Bucks and him and his other players and him and other teams and other GMs, executives around the league.

“It’s something you can’t control. But at the end of the day, I personally didn’t have the conversation with the Bucks.”

This is an interesting way to describe a player-agent relationship, as an agent unilaterally approaching a team regarding his client’s future is not something you see every day. It’s the basic definition of an agent to act on a player’s wishes, so Saratsis must know at least something about what Antetokounmpo is looking for if he’s talking to the Bucks long-term.

Pressed on the complaint, Antetokounmpo also denied any control over the matter and lamented his wife’s obsession with Target in the process:

“I always tell my wife, ‘Stop shopping at Target.’ Every day he wakes up and says, “I’m going to Target.” I say, “Honey, stop.” You’re addicted to Target.” Everyday. Went to Target today. I can’t control it: she’s a grown woman. I can’t control what he does.

“So the same thing with my agent. I can’t control the conversations they’ll have. I can’t control the people that approach them. At the same time, I can’t control the teams that approach the Bucks.”

Antetokounmpo also summarized his communications with his agent as virtually nonexistent during the season, which, again, would make him a rarity among NBA players:

“A lot of people have great relationships with their agents. With me, I have a good relationship with my agent, but they know that once the season starts, you don’t call me on the phone. You don’t talk to me about endorsement deals. You don’t talk to me about basketball. You’ve never played a game. Let me take care of my job, you take care of your job.”

Antetokounmpo hasn’t played since Dec. 3 and confirmed his injury was a strained soleus, which he also suffered in the 2023-24 season. He said the timeline for return remains 4 to 6 weeks, which should put his return in January. However, he also added that he would play Thursday if it were a Game 7.

The Bucks went 1-3 without Antetokounmpo and Milwaukee only has seven more games left in December. The team is already in 11th place in the Eastern Conference and needs him more than ever in the post-Damian Lillard era.

Announcement

There was confusion in all this. The Bucks have steadfastly denied that such conversations took place, but Antetokounmpo simply indicated that his agent was talking to them about something. Antetokounmpo was reported to have talked to his teammates last week about focusing on winning now, but two of his teammates said they had heard no such talk.

The Bucks have become conspicuously sparse on Antetokounmpo’s social media, which he explained as an attempt to become more private:

“I got asked the other day, ‘Hey man, did you delete all the Bucks stuff from your social media.’ I’m like, “Brother.” Younger generations pay so much attention to: What does it mean? Why do I delete Bucks stuff from my social media platforms? What does it mean? Won’t I show up to work? I do not understand. I feel like people pay so much attention to this.

“First of all, I haven’t deleted the Bucks stuff. My Jimmy Paschke jersey and championship trophy are there. The NBA Cup trophy is there. All the moments that mean something to me are there, but I want to be more private moving forward, as much as possible. I want to be a little more private, that’s how I protect my family.”

If Antetokounmpo were truly open to a trade, there would be no shortage of suitors. If not, the easiest way to end such talk is for the Bucks to start acting like a contender.