NBA Rumors: Latest Buzz on Giannis Antetokounmpo, Knicks' Coaching Search, More

Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo is gearing up to lead his team into the NBA restart in Orlando, Florida.

But while plenty of fans and insiders will be intrigued to see how Giannis and the Bucks perform in Disney World, there is likely to be more interest in the MVP's impending free agency.

Antetokounmpo is slated to hit the open market at the end of the 2020-21 season, and the Greek Freak figures to have a number of suitors.

As Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports reported, Giannis has refused to answer questions about his future. One league source also told Goodwill the 25-year-old is focused on winning an NBA championship. Simultaneously, that same source also stated "it won't stop people from reaching out."

The Bucks have the opportunity to sign Antetokounmpo to the most lucrative offer this fall, though the financials are something of an unknown pending the financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Eric Nehm and Danny Leroux of The Athletic said in April a potential supermax extension could be worth upward of $250 million over the course of five years. 

However, it remains to be seen whether Antetokounmpo feels there is a better opportunity to win elsewhere.

Giannis is one of the most transformative talents in the league. His combination of size, length and agility have made him a force on both ends of the floor, and the Bucks have thrived as a result.

Milwaukee enters the restart with the best record in the league. For his part, Giannis is averaging 29.6 points, 13.7 rebounds and 5.8 assists while also leading the league in defensive win shares and player efficiency rating (PER), per Basketball Reference.

Perhaps winning an NBA title will convince Antetokounmpo his future lies in Milwaukee. If not, he will undoubtedly have an unparalleled market in free agency. 

New Superteam Born Out of Bubble?

The NBA's bubble is an unprecedented scenario in league history. But some feel the environment might eventually lead to the creation of more superteams.

One coach told Goodwill "The next superteam will come out of this" because the proximity of players and coaches naturally leads to more mingling. 

Goodwill noted players have tons of "down time" in the bubble, and seeing as they are relegated to the bubble, they have no choice but to interact only with one another.

Boston Celtics point guard Kemba Walker said as much during an interview with Bleacher Report's Taylor Rooks:

"Whenever you go downstairs, you're going to see somebody. Like, the other night, me and JT were walking to get some food and we saw [Le]Bron [James]. We saw 'Bron, JR [Smith], Jared Dudley and [Kyle] Kuz[ma]. 

"It's very rare to see 'Bron walking by himself and being comfortable. Like, I was telling somebody that he probably hasn't done that since he was nine years old—being able to be so comfortable just walking around and not worrying about people coming up to him and being bothered asking for something.

"Now he's just regular, you know? Not regular, but he's able to be comfortable and walk around comfortably, so I think that's pretty cool."

Walker seems to suggest the players have more cause to move about freely and engage with more peers on their own terms, which they normally would not be able to do given the time allotted for travel and media, among other things.

History has also shown that the more players have the opportunity to mingle, the more they entertain the idea of playing on the same team. Goodwill specifically noted how the USA Basketball experience contributed to the birth of the "Big Three" Miami Heat, in addition to how the relationship of Brooklyn Nets stars Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant and DeAndre Jordan grew at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

Player empowerment plays a huge role in free-agency decisions. James and Durant might have been vilified for their choices, but team loyalty does not seem to be not quite as high on priority lists as it was in past eras.

Byron Scott Not 'The Hardest Worker'

The New York Knicks have quite the list of head-coaching candidates, though that does not include Byron Scott.

One Knicks fan asked Marc Berman of the New York Post why Scott had not been considered. Berman responded by saying sources indicated Scott "wasn't the hardest worker or a fan of film study" during his days as a head coach.

Scott, formerly a star for the Los Angeles Lakers, has an extensive coaching record. He has manned the bench for four teams and led the then-New Jersey Nets to consecutive NBA Finals appearances in 2002 and 2003.

But Scott has had far less success in his past two stints as a head coach. He went 64-166 in three seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers before going 38-126 as head coach of the Lakers.

Meanwhile, the Knicks have yet to make an official hire, though Berman reported Tuesday that Tom Thibodeau is still considered the favorite to land the job.

In any case, it seems Scott's work ethic—or reported lack thereof—might have eliminated him from New York's coaching search pretty early, if he were even considered in the first place.

All stats obtained via Basketball Reference unless otherwise noted.