Milwaukee Bucks: 3 reasons Giannis Antetokounmpo will re-sign
The Milwaukee Bucks MVP candidate Giannis Antetokounmpo is under contract for a couple more years, but that doesn’t stop others from speculating.
If you’re a fan of the Milwaukee Bucks and, by default, Giannis Antetokounmpo, get used to the speculation, rumors, reports or whatever you want to call them about Antetokounmpo leaving Milwaukee when he becomes an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2021.
Antetokounmpo is currently under a four-year, $100 million contract that will pay him $25.8 million next season and $27.5 million in the final year of the deal in 2020-21. However, he is eligible to sign a supermax contract in the summer of 2020: A deal could be worth up to five years and $247 million. The first year (2021-22) would pay him $42.6 million and it would increase until he earned $56.3 million in the final season of 2025-26.
Right now, the focus is on Anthony Davis and his trade demand from the New Orleans Pelicans. This will, and already has, drawn a lot of eyes to Antetokounmpo’s situation in Milwaukee. Be careful not to fall into that trap.
Here’s what Antentokounmpo’s supermax contract extension can look like (he’s eligible to sign it in summer of 2020):
— Bucks Film Room (@BucksFilmRoom) February 19, 2019
21/22: $42.63 million
22/23: $46.04 million
23/24: $49.45 million
24/25: $52.86 million
25/26: $56.27 million
Total: $247.25 million
Antetokounmpo’s and Davis’ situations are completely different. In fact, Antetokounmpo’s situation is different from that of almost any star in the past few years who has forced their way out of their franchise. So far, the list includes Jimmy Butler (twice), Paul George and Kawhi Leonard. Before you get too worked up reading all these different scenarios for Antetokounmpo in 2021, here are three reasons he will re-sign with the Bucks.