NBA Rumors: Latest Buzz on Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bucks Trades, LaMelo Ball
Giannis Antetokounmpo is the reigning two-time MVP award winner.
The 25-year-old has also spent his entire career with the Milwaukee Bucks, who selected him with the No. 15 overall pick in the 2013 NBA draft. However, his contract is set to expire after the 2020-21 season, so he could potentially be a free agent next year. However, the Bucks can offer him a supermax extension to guarantee that he'll be around for a while.
After getting eliminated in the second round of the NBA playoffs in September, Milwaukee is likely to make moves this offseason to help get Antetokounmpo to stay long term. Things are likely to pick up soon for the Bucks (and the rest of the league's teams) with the NBA draft set for Nov. 18 and free agency expected to begin soon after.
Here's a look at some of the latest buzz from around the NBA, including more on Antetokounmpo and the Bucks.
Bucks Optimistic About Supermax for Antetokoumpo
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It's not a surprise that the Bucks want to get Antetokounmpo to sign a five-year supermax extension before he hits free agency. And according to ESPN's Zach Lowe, the team believes that may just happen.
Lowe recently reported that the Bucks "remain confident" that Antetokounmpo will sign a five-year supermax extension "valued at between $220 million and $250 million (depending on the cap level) before the start of the 2020-21 regular season." Then, Antetokounmpo and Milwaukee could focus solely on the upcoming season rather than what might come after it.
But what if the Bucks don't sign Antetokounmpo to a supermax extension by then?
"Unless something drastic changes, Milwaukee is not trading him," Lowe wrote. "If Antetokounmpo doesn't sign, the Bucks are prepared to play it out, sources have said."
Milwaukee has been the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference each of the past two years and remains in win-now mode, so it makes sense that it wouldn't want to trade its star, even if he does have an uncertain future. This past season, Antetokounmpo set career highs in points (29.5) and rebounds (13.6) per game over 63 contests.
Potential Trade Coming Between Bucks and Kings?
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The Bucks have had the best record in the regular season the past two years, but they haven't made it past the Eastern Conference Finals either season. Milwaukee last reached the NBA Finals in 1974, and it hasn't won a championship since 1971.
Lowe reported that the Bucks "will be active" this offseason, so their roster may look different as they try to make a deeper playoff run in 2021. And it appears they may already have some potential trade targets.
"They love Bogdan Bogdanovic, a restricted free agent with the Sacramento Kings who would require a sign-and-trade; the Bucks have kicked around scenarios in which they also absorb Harrison Barnes, sources have told ESPN," Lowe wrote. "It is unclear if they have engaged the Kings in real discussions; it's early."
Bogdanovic, 28, has spent his first three NBA seasons with the Kings and has been a key contributor (mostly off the bench), scoring a career-high 15.1 points in 61 games in 2019-20. Barnes, 28, is also coming off a solid season for Sacramento, during which he averaged 14.5 points and 4.9 rebounds in 72 games (all starts).
Those two aren't the only players who Milwaukee reportedly has interest in. Lowe noted that the Bucks are "also eyeing Indiana's Victor Oladipo, though no substantive talks with the Pacers have taken place." He added that several other teams are keeping an eye on Oladipo (who has had some struggles since returning from a major quadriceps injury he suffered in January 2019), but they want to see him in action before entering trade talks.
Ball's Draft Stock Could Be Dropping
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There's been a lot of hype surrounding LaMelo Ball since he was a top high school point guard. That didn't change when he spent one season playing for the Illawarra Hawks of the National Basketball League in Australia, and it's long been expected that he'd be taken early in the 2020 NBA draft.
With the draft less than two weeks away, it appears Ball may not go quite as early as some have predicted, though.
According to The Ringer's Kevin O'Connor, Ball has "reportedly struggled in workouts and interviews, and many league sources believe he could fall out of the top three." But that doesn't mean there aren't teams interested in taking him in the lottery .
"Some teams may prefer to play it safe, but if a player with Ball's upside does slip, a bidding war could commence," O'Connor wrote.
The Detroit Pistons, who own the No. 7 pick, are one potential team that could draft Ball, as general manager Troy Weaver recently said "moving up is definitely an option," according to ESPN's Eric Woodyard, who also reported that Ball is one possible target for them.
Ball has strong playmaking skills and a ton of potential, so if teams do pass on him, the 19-year-old could make them regret their decision not to draft him. But only time will tell whether or not that will be the case.
