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The Milwaukee Bucks are hoping to sell superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo on the idea of a “gap year.” This is according to the latest from NBA Insider Marc Stein in his Substack The Stein Line.
The theory of a gap year for the Bucks revolves around having a down year in 2025-26. With Damian Lillard expected to miss the season as he recovers from a ruptured Achilles, contending for a title is certainly out of the question. The goal, then, would be to acquire a quality draft pick and then work towards competing at a high level in 2026-27.
Antetokounmpo has built a reputation for himself as arguably the most competitive star in the league. The idea of him not only being OK with not competing for the biggest prize but perhaps even tanking is going to be a big one to sell.
He made an All-NBA team for the eighth time in his career last week and finished third in MVP voting. The Bucks finished fifth in the East and lost in the first round to the Indiana Pacers.
What Does The Full Gap Year Case Look Like?
Antetokounmpo holds the Bucks near and dear to his heart. If there is a scenario where he finishes his career in Milwaukee, he will at the very least consider it.
The other part of the sell job is that his best hopes lie in staying in the East. Next year is filled with uncertainty for both the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers. They are both teams that have been primarily thought of as East contenders over the past half-decade.
There are new forces rising, though. The Pacers and New York Knicks are currently contesting the conference finals and aren’t going anywhere. The Cleveland Cavaliers were the top seed after 64 wins but fell apart in the second round partially due to injury.
A healthy Orlando Magic squad should be better while the Detroit Pistons also look to be on the rise. Taking this year off and still not being sure of contention status in 2026-27 when Lillard will be 36 years old is a murky scenario at best.
Let’s not forget, Antetokounmpo himself will be entering his age 31 season in ’25-26. It’s not as if he has a lot of time to sit around and wait.
Spurs Have Best ‘Gap Year’ Example
The San Antonio Spurs have the best example of a gap year. After winning 62 games and 59 games in 1994-95 and ’95-96, they pulled the plug the following season due to injuries to star center David Robinson.
As a result of the dismal effort in ’96-97, the Spurs finished 20-62 and landed the No. 1 pick in the draft. They used that pick to select Tim Duncan and the rest is history. San Antonio went on to establish a dynasty with Duncan and won five titles during his career.
Unless there’s a scenario in which Antetokounmpo gets a severe injury, it will be difficult to lose on that scale. Asking Antetokounmpo to sit games simply won’t work.
The report also suggests that Antetokounmpo’s strong working relationship with head coach Doc Rivers is another aspect in Milwaukee’s favor.
This certainly doesn’t seem like much to pin their hopes on the Greek Freak not requesting a trade, but it appears to be the best shot they’ve got.
