Giannis Antetokounmpo Gets Painfully Honest About Trade Speculation

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Giannis Antetokounmpo has finally addressed the swirling trade speculation surrounding his future, delivering a message that reinforces both his loyalty to the Milwaukee Bucks and his demand for sustained championship contention.

“Brother, if you ask me deep down what I want today, I want to be a Milwaukee Buck for the rest of my career,” Antetokounmpo told Eric Nehm of The Athletic. “I want to win here, another championship. And if you can tell me that’s possible, let’s just hang up the phone.

“You know basketball. You see basketball. You understand basketball. You’ve been around greatness. You’ve been around a championship team. You’ve been around a good culture. You’ve been around when the popcorn was popping. You were around; you saw it. If you tell me that that’s possible, we can hang up the phone and keep on moving with our day.

“I want to be here, but I want to be here to win, not fighting for my life to make the playoffs. I’m not used to inconsistent basketball. I’ve played so many years of consistent basketball, I am not used to it anymore.”

Milwaukee’s struggles this season have only fueled speculation about potential roster changes and even a blockbuster trade.

“What does that show? Does that show a guy that’s not gonna be here? Is that what my actions show?” Antetokounmpo said doubling down on his commitment when speaking with Jim Owczarski of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “I could tell you whatever I want, but what does my actions show? That I want to be here. I want to be here with people that know what it takes to win.

“If you ask me what do I really want, deep down in my heart? I want to be a Milwaukee Buck until I retire and win a championship here. End of sentence,” Antetokounmpo told Owczarski. “If that is not possible to happen, and if then you realize maybe that’s not the case and maybe they’re looking elsewhere and that’s not what they’re trying to do, then automatically you have to be in the plans of what they’re trying to do or weigh the other options.”