Even in his departure, Giannis Antetokounmpo still can't quite believe that he's leaving Milwaukee. The 31-year-old former Bucks superstar's trade to Miami went official this week, allowing him to finally open up about the saga that led to the deal and his complicated feelings about how it all played out.
He even went as far as to talk about wanting to pull a Kevin Garnett and return to the Bucks to finish his career in Milwaukee — a sour note for all the Bucks fans who felt he didn't need to leave in the first place. In a private conversation with longtime Bucks commentator Jim Paschke, the Greek Freak left the door open for a potential return at the later stages of his playing days.
"That would be awesome if I can go and play and maybe come back. Kevin Garnett did the same thing," he said in response to Paschke broaching the subject. "I saw this clip of him walking into the [Target Center], and they gave him a standing ovation, and people to this day love him."
The quote doesn't give the full context because Giannis is clearly very emotional in this clip. He's terrified of what Bucks fans and the Milwaukee community will think of him for this trade. He mentioned that some fans might not accept him back, or might view him as an enemy, to which Paschke shut that down and told him he'd always be welcomed back in Milwaukee.
While I think that's probably true, the wound is too fresh to truly know. But more so than anything, the sentiment speaks to a broader truth about the Giannis trade saga... it probably didn't need to happen.
Giannis and the Bucks now have to learn the hard way that the grass isn't always greener on the other side.
Isn't it interesting that Giannis is already thinking about coming back to Milwaukee before playing a single game with the Miami Heat? For Bucks fans, it's like a girlfriend or boyfriend leaving you for someone else, but then saying they'll always love you and want to be part of your life. It feels like whispering sweet nothings from someone who isn't sure what they want.
The Giannis trade saga didn't come out of thin air, and the Bucks didn't initiate it. They ended it.
Although Giannis has taken very little responsibility for the trade saga itself, he was almost undoubtedly a big part of a conversation that could've been avoided. Milwaukee didn't have a lot of roster-building tools coming out of the 2021 Finals run era, but they had enough to be dangerous. With Jaylen Brown being traded for pennies on the dollar, Ja Morant getting dealt for a nickel, or some of the bargain-bin free-agent contracts this summer, there was a path to getting back on track.
But it was the road less traveled, and one that neither side felt fully comfortably comitting to. So now, they both have to live with their decisions and find a way to embrace what's next. There's an enticing youth movement brewing in the Brew City, and while the Heat still have some big question marks, they should be in a position to make a splash in the uncertain Eastern Conference.
It's hard to say whether winning another title in South Beach would be as validating as Giannis hopes it will be. It's also hard to say whether he'll ever get the chance. But it's too early to be playing the 'maybe I'll come home one day' card when the dust hasn't even cleared on the trade, which tells us the one thing we've known all along...
In his heart, Giannis never felt 100% comfortable with this trade. Now both sides are left to pick up the pieces and make the most of a situation that only became an inevitability when both sides turned it into one.
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