The Milwaukee Bucks are coming out of the All-Star break with a 29-24 record and in fifth place in the Eastern Conference. They continue to be middling on both ends of the floor and look nowhere near the championship contender they hoped they would be this season.
After the underwhelming first half of the season, the Bucks moved on from the declining Khris Middleton and acquired Kyle Kuzma at the trade deadline.
Now, the stakes are high in Milwaukee. If the Bucks flame out early in the first round for a second straight season, the Giannis Antetokounmpo-Damian Lillard era may be coming to an end. In fact, ESPN's Shams Charania hinted at that possibility on Thursday.
Shams Charania says Giannis Antetokounmpo wants to stay in Milwaukee, but if he doesn’t see sustained long-term success there, he will look elsewhere
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) February 20, 2025
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Giannis Antetokounmpo May Leave Milwaukee Without "Long-Term Success"
Charania said that while Antetokounmpo wants to stay in Milwaukee, he could start looking elsewhere if he "doesn't see sustained long-term success".
Considering the fact that the second and third-best players on the roster, Lillard and Brook Lopez, are 34 and 36, respectively, seeing that long-term success certainly isn't easy. Plus, the Bucks don't have the draft capital, young prospects, or financial flexibility to improve drastically over the next few years.
Fortunately for the Bucks, Giannis is under contract until the end of the 2026-27 season and has a player option for the season after. Even if the Greek superstar requests a trade, the Bucks should get a massive haul in return, setting themselves up for future success.
This will be a make-or-break season for the Bucks. As things stand now, they are firmly behind the Celtics, Cavs, and the Knicks in the East power rankings. One has to imagine that the Bucks will need to show that they can compete with this echelon of contenders in the postseason to have a chance to keep Antetokounmpo long-term.