When a team has a generational talent on their roster, it can be easy to rest on their laurels. It seems like having that caliber of player should make any franchise an annual contender for the NBA Championship. In reality, basketball is a team sport, and one truly legendary player can only drag everyone else to the promised land so many times, if at all.
That's the state of the Milwaukee Bucks and Giannis Antetokounmpo. He has been in the NBA since 2013, carving out a legendary career that includes two league MVPs, nine All-Star appearances, and being named the 2020 NBA Defensive Player of the Year. The 2024-25 season also saw him add NBA Cup Champion and MVP to his list of accomplishments.
Despite his extensive personal accolades, Giannis only has one NBA Championship tied to his name. That's because the Bucks have failed to put together a reliable support roster around Antetokounmpo, which would lead to a deep playoff run. As the 2025-26 season looms, it's become abundantly clear the franchise has yet again done little to set him up for success.
The Bucks owed Giannis Antetokounmpo a better off-season
With the Bucks' inability to put a championship roster together since their chip in 2021, Giannis trade rumors fly around every year. This off-season has been no exception. As per usual, nothing has materialized. It's well-known around the league that the Bucks desperately want to keep Giannis, and Giannis appears quite happy living in Milwaukee.
At the same time, it's also well-known around the league that Giannis is rather unhappy with the front office. Off-season after off-season seems to come and go with few meaningful roster moves made. Again, this season has been no exception. Giannis has been left with a "new look" crew that likely doesn't have the experience or firepower to get the job done.
After two injury-plagued seasons with the Bucks, Damian Lillard is on his way back to Portland. The Bucks did sign Myles Turner, though that trade was mostly notable because no one could believe the Pacers fumbled their longest-tenured player. Beyond that, acquisitions have included Jericho Sims and Cole Anthony. Both are good players, just not move-the-needle good.
Watch Giannis at the trade deadline
This dance has been going on between Giannis and the Bucks for years. The franchise talks a good game, yet rarely comes through with the moves to even contend, let alone win. Unfortunately, the 2025/26 season looks about the same at this point. Based on what fans are seeing, the best-case scenario is Giannis dragging the Bucks into the playoffs and losing in the first round.
The reality is that Giannis is only 30, meaning he has several years of great basketball left in his career. Like the Nuggets and Nikola Jokic, the Bucks are wasting the prime years of a generational talent. On a franchise that actually has the pieces in place to win or is willing to build around Giannis, there would easily be more titles in Antetokounmpo's future.
If the Bucks get off to a slow start and are not looking ready for a deep playoff run right now, seeing movement from Giannis around the 2026 trade deadline would not be shocking. This is a future Hall of Famer who should have more than one title on his resume. Giannis wants to win, and his love of Milwaukee will only keep him on the Bucks for so long before he moves to another organization.