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13 hours ago
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It's up to Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Amid all the trade rumors already swirling around the Milwaukee Bucks is one generationally talented, freakishly tall, long and athletic human. And he's the one that will decide his fate.
That's what NBA insider Marc Stein has reported: The Bucks don't plan to trade Giannis unless he asks them to.
So now, the basketball world's eyes turn to Antetkounmpo. What does he want to do?
If Damian Lillard hadn't torn his Achilles, things might feel very different.
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But the Bucks are facing an entire season without their second-best player, and they're losing other talent to free agency this offseason.
From a basketball perspective, there are better places to pursue a championship than Milwaukee.
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But Antetokounmpo has remained loyal to the Bucks from the beginning. They gave the tall, skinny, Bambi-like hooper from the Greek second division a chance. They welcomed not just him but his whole family.
He became a part of American culture, with his family by his side, in Milwaukee. It's Antetokounmpo's home.
He may leave, but it sounds like it'll be on his terms. The Bucks don't have a path to landing another player like Giannis. They're probably inclined to keep him at all costs.
So now it falls on Antetokounmpo's muscular shoulders that have been built over time during a championship and MVP career in Milwaukee. What does Giannis want do to next? It'll decide the fate of a number of NBA franchises for years to come.
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