The Milwaukee Bucks face a lot of pressure this summer with them facing a potential rebuild, but that may not happen. The Bucks are widely expected to trade Giannis Antetokounmpo this summer, and while that seems likely, it's less of a foregone conclusion now.
After being eliminated in the first round of the NBA Playoffs by the Indiana Pacers for the second straight year, it seemed like the Giannis era was done. However, it's worth mentioning that the Pacers went to the Eastern Conference Finals last season and are in the NBA Finals this season.
Losing to a team that made two deep playoff runs is far less embarrassing and may force Giannis to reconsider his options. Especially with his trade market seemingly smaller than expected. After all, the Oklahoma City Thunder are unlikely to trade for him now that they just made the NBA Finals.
The same goes for the San Antonio Spurs, who lucked into landing the second overall pick. Meanwhile, the Houston Rockets appear resistant to making a big trade, given their young core won 54 games this season. Those three teams have the most assets in the NBA, and all may pass on a potential Giannis sweepstakes.
Can the Milwaukee Bucks keep Giannis Antetokounmpo?
It's possible, at least to start the season, though they will have to remake their roster on the fly. Bobby Portis Jr. may leave, so too may Brook Lopez, and Damian Lillard could miss all of next season. That doesn't give them much to work with besides their mid-level exception (MLE) and possibly the bi-annual exceptions worth $14.1 million and $5.6 million.
They could split the MLE to re-sign Gary Trent Jr. and Kevin Porter Jr. The Bucks could also bring back Andre Jackson Jr., Ryan Rollins, Jericho Sims, and AJ Green by either guaranteeing their contracts or signing them for the minimum. That could mean them having 10 players under contract for $163.74.
They would need to sign at least three players to reach the minimum roster limit and would have $24.1 million under the luxury tax to do so. They could possibly bring back Lopez on a one-year deal, as well as give Taurean Prince a pay raise. It might not be a better team than this season's team. Still, they have enough new and/or young players that could thrive in a bigger role or with more familiarity in their role.
The Bucks have hope to keep Giannis Antetokounmpo
They will have to do a lot with a little, but it's possible that they can do enough to convince Antetokounmpo to start the season with them. Whether he would finish next season with the Bucks is a big question mark. However, even getting to that point would be a big win for Milwaukee, giving them a little more time to convince Giannis to stay.
One reason why that might work is that the Cleveland Cavaliers likely will have to trade Jarrett Allen and may entertain offers for Darius Garland. As a result, they may be weakened next season.
Meanwhile, the Boston Celtics could be without Jayson Tatum for all of next season and may trade Kristaps Porzingis, see Al Horford retire, and also move on from Jrue Holiday. The New York Knicks could even trade Karl-Anthony Towns. The point is, the East may be wide open next season.
Overall, the Bucks have hope that Giannis may stay in Milwaukee, at least to start next season. With the Pacers making the Finals, the Bucks' back-to-back losses to Indy are far more excusable, and the East is more wide open. Add in a smaller trade market for Giannis, and he could very well stay in Milwaukee.