Jon Horst, Bucks Reportedly Agree to Contract Extension amid Giannis Trade Rumors

Amid recent speculation about Giannis Antetokounmpo's future with the Milwaukee Bucks, the organization remains committed to general manager Jon Horst.

Per ESPN's Shams Charania, the Bucks and Horst agreed to terms on a multiyear contract extension as his current deal was set to expire at the end of this season.

As the Bucks face a 2-0 series deficit to the Indiana Pacers in the first round of the playoffs, all eyes are on Antetokounmpo right now. He said as recently as February that he wouldn't ever ask for a trade and "they would have to kick me out" before he did that.

ESPN's Brian Windhorst noted on Wednesday's episode of The Hoop Collective Podcast that Antetokounmpo "has given no indication throughout this entire season that he is not 100% focused on maximizing what the Bucks have."

Another early playoff exit could potentially change things, but there's nothing at this point to suggest Antetokounmpo will ask out. Next season will mark the first year of his three-year, $175.4 million extension that includes a player option for 2027-28.

It wouldn't be hard to find a suitor for the two-time MVP if he were to become available. Brian Lewis of the New York Post recently noted Antetokounmpo "has been and remains Plan A" for the Brooklyn Nets if he wants to leave Milwaukee.

The Bucks have been trending in the wrong direction for the past couple of seasons. They won an NBA-high 58 games during the 2022-23 campaign before losing in the first round to the No. 8 seed Miami Heat in part because Antetokounmpo missed two games due to a back injury.

After firing Mike Budenholzer in the wake of that playoff loss, the Bucks went through three head coaches last season when they finally landed on Doc Rivers. They again lost in the first round, this time to the Pacers, because Antetokounmpo missed the entire series due to a calf injury and Damian Lillard sat out two games with an Achilles injury.

Horst's past trades for Lillard and Jrue Holiday have sapped the Bucks of short- and long-term assets that would allow them to upgrade around Antetokounmpo.

Milwaukee doesn't have control of its first-round draft pick until 2031. The team only has two second-round picks through 2030, with its 2026 second-rounder being protected if it falls among the top 55 picks.

The Bucks could have up to $23 million in cap space this summer if Bobby Portis, Pat Connaughton and Kevin Porter Jr. all turn down their player options.

There's not a great crop of free agents to choose from. LeBron James (player option) seems unlikely to leave the Los Angeles Lakers. Kyrie Irving (player option) is recovering from a torn ACL suffered on March 3. James Harden (player option) has performed well for the Los Angeles Clippers that he could either opt in or get a new deal.

That leaves Julius Randle as the best potential free agent who could leave his current team this summer. John Collins, Naz Reid, Jonathan Kuminga and Myles Turner are the other top options.

Horst, who has been Milwaukee's GM since June 2017, absolutely deserves credit for building a team that won the NBA title during the 2020-21 season. It's not unreasonable to assume they would have had additional success if injuries hadn't derailed them in the playoffs each of the past two years, even if they weren't guaranteed to win more championships.

The moves Horst has made since that title season have left the organization in a difficult position going forward, but they have enough confidence in him to pull them out of by extending his deal.