Giannis' latest comments may lay the groundwork to demand trade from Bucks

The thought of the Milwaukee Bucks trading superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo is probably something that keeps fans up at night. However, he discussed that very possibility recently, even believing that the team could trade him.

The Bucks are entering year 11 with Giannis and while they have already won a championship with him, snapping a nearly 50-year drought, the pressure is on for them to win again. After all, they mortgage their future to build around their best player, including trading two first-round picks and two pick swaps for Jrue Holiday. They later moved another first, as well as two pick swaps to trade him in a three-team deal to acquire Damian Lillard.

They even gave up five second-round picks for Jae Crowder in the hope that he could make the difference. All that is to say, the Bucks have made a lot of moves to try and build around Giannis. Whether they still can after this season is a big question mark and also raises questions about his future.

Would the Milwaukee Bucks really trade Giannis Antetokounmpo?

To answer the question bluntly, the answer is almost certainly no. That being said, it often isn't up to the team when it comes to superstars who have the power to force their way out of town. At 29 years old and with four years left on his contract, he is further along in age and contract length than many superstars who did ask to be traded.

That should help Milwaukee, in theory, as well as them landing Lillard, who, despite regressing last season, could be a great player for another year or two. That would help the Bucks stay in the mix even as they have seemingly been surpassed by the Boston Celtics, New York Knicks, and Philadelphia 76ers.

The Bucks roster is arguably better this season than last and they were 30-13 when they fired their coach to hire Doc Rivers. That derailed their season, but a core of Giannis, Lillard, Brook Lopez, and a healthy Khris Middleton can clearly win plenty of regular season games. That could ensure them a high seed in the playoffs and prevent them from having to go through each of those aforementioned teams.

Then again, if they fail to make it out of the first round for the third straight year, then that might make Giannis restless. However, perhaps not enough to demand a trade unless it's clear that the Bucks are no longer contenders. In which case the Bucks may oblige him but they certainly aren't going to move him unless it gets to that point.

The most likely reason behind Giannis' comments is to keep pressure on Bucks to build around him and maybe even to lay the groundwork for a trade request if things go south. That would be down the road and may never happen with the Bucks having done everything they can to keep him happy.