For the third year in a row, the Milwaukee Bucks’ season has come to an end in the first round of the playoffs.
The Bucks were eliminated from the 2025 NBA Playoffs after they lost to the Indiana Pacers by one point in Tuesday’s Game 5.
Star big man Giannis Antetokounmpo put together a dominant all-around performance with 30 points, 20 rebounds and 13 assists in Game 5, but it wasn’t enough for Milwaukee to pick up a win without guard Damian Lillard.
According to ESPN’s Jamal Collier, while Antetokounmpo is still “happy” in Milwaukee, he will meet with the Bucks at the end of the season to discuss his future as well as the future of the team.
“Antetokounmpo’s thoughts entering a crucial offseason in Milwaukee will have franchise and league-altering ramifications,” Collier wrote. “Nothing else truly matters. Multiple sources have indicated to ESPN throughout the season that Antetokounmpo remains happy in Milwaukee, that he deeply respects Lillard and was pleased with the progress they made as a duo this season, when they were the highest-scoring twosome in the NBA, averaging 58.4 points per game, and helped rally Milwaukee from 2-8 to win the Emirates NBA Cup in December.
“Still, the Bucks and Antetokounmpo are scheduled to meet after the season to discuss both his future and the future plans for the team, sources told ESPN’s Shams Charania. It’s an annual meeting between the two sides, but one that carries a different tone heading into the summer after the Bucks failed to win a playoff series even with their star putting up a dominant performance.”
In an era of the NBA that’s arguably been defined by star players changing teams on a whim, Antetokounmpo has been incredibly loyal to the Bucks organization. He has been a member of the team ever since Milwaukee drafted him with the No. 15 overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft, and he’s logged 12 seasons with the Bucks.
His loyalty to Milwaukee paid off with a championship earlier on in the decade. He was an invaluable part of the Bucks team that won the 2021 NBA title, as he earned Finals MVP honors for Milwaukee. Antetokounmpo averaged an unbelievable 35.2 points per game against the Phoenix Suns in the championship series and helped the Bucks rally after losing the first two games of the series.
But Milwaukee now has an aging roster and seemingly won’t have many avenues to improve in the coming years, so perhaps Antetokounmpo should express his desire to get moved to a different team in his meeting with the Bucks.
If the Bucks do make Antetokounmpo available on the trade market in the near future, folks should expect a laundry list of teams across the league to be vying for his services. Antetokounmpo is universally perceived as one of the best players in the NBA right now, and he’s an elite two-way player. He won a Defensive Player of the Year award earlier in his career.
