Giannis Antetokounmpo gives Bucks fans reason to be optimistic about contract

Milwaukee Bucks fans are understandably concerned about the possibility of Giannis Antetokounmpo leaving the team after next season, but he has yet to give any indication that he is planning to do so.

Antetokounmpo won his second consecutive NBA MVP Award on Friday, and he spoke with NBA TV’s Ernie Johnson about his future in Milwaukee shortly after receiving the good news. He was noncommittal about possibly signing a supermax extension with the Bucks this offseason, but Giannis said he has no desire to leave Milwaukee “as long as everybody’s on the same page” and fighting to win a championship.

“As long as everybody’s fighting for the same thing … which is to be a champion, I don’t see why not to be in Milwaukee for the next 15 years.”

—@Giannis_An34 pic.twitter.com/DMb7iRahKd

— ESPN (@espn) September 18, 2020

“I had a great meeting with the owners to talk about the team, what went wrong and what we can improve,” Antetokounmpo said. “As long as everybody’s on the same page and as long as everybody’s fighting for the same thing I’m fighting for every day, which is to be a champion, I don’t see why (I won’t) be in Milwaukee for the next 15 years.”

There has been a lot of talk that the disappointing way in which the Bucks’ season ended this year could contribute to pushing Antetokounmpo out the door. However, the recent meeting he alluded to with Milwaukee’s brass was said to be a very productive one. He also emphatically shot down talk that he is thinking about leaving the Bucks.

NBA fans are going to freak out about Giannis’ social media activity no matter what he says, but they need to remember how much the Bucks can pay him. Antetokounmpo will be eligible to sign a max extension this offseason that is worth somewhere between $220-250 million over five years. That gives him even more incentive to stay put as he enters the final year of his deal.