Giannis Antetokounmpo: Prepare for waiting game on supermax extension talks

All eyes will be on Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo this offseason and his decision on receiving his long-awaited supermax extension.

Make no bones about it, Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo holds all of the cards this offseason.

The reigning, back-to-back MVP is set to receive a five-year extension that was once deemed the richest contract in NBA history. Of course, the fallout from the coronavirus pandemic will likely affect that contract reaching that distinction, but the recent chatter of financial figures and when this year’s free agency period will likely begin has cleared up some of the questions surrounding this offseason.

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While there is a growing clarity as to when these cornerstone offseason events will take place, it does nothing to change the uncertainty that still exists as to what the 25-year-old will do this offseason.

Not only have very few players reached the rarified air that Antetokounmpo is in right now in his career, especially at his age, but very few players have been presented the very opportunity and decision that will surely chart the course of his playing career and legacy.

In an appearance on The Alex Kennedy podcast over on BasketballNews.com, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst touched on this very topic when asked about the decision facing Antetokounmpo and his future in Milwaukee at large:

"“Giannis is absolutely going to wait and see what the CBA modifications are going to be. My feel from talking to people around the league is I don’t think we’re going to see a massive, sweeping changes because they’re going to modify the deal. I think they’re just going to try to put a band-aid on this thing to get through the next year or two…But here’s the harsh truth for the Milwaukee fans and this is upsetting, I know, but it’s just true. There’s no advantage for Giannis to signing this offseason. He can get the exact same contract from the Bucks a year from now and the only thing that you’re doing by re-signing now is giving comfort to the Bucks. I’m not saying he shouldn’t do that. If I was his agent, I would not recommend that he would sign it. I know that there’s the question of ‘Well, what if (Giannis) gets injured?’ I would say any injury that you would have, he would still get that contract from the Bucks.I think that, thinking completely objectively, that his agent could not recommend to him to sign the extension this offseason and I have been saying that for months and I definitely have upset people in Milwaukee for saying that. Talking about people within the organization because they don’t think it’s fair to the way that they’ve run their team. But I mean, that just the reality.”"

Forgive me for doing the very aggregating that Windhorst has long lamented over various podcast appearances over the years, but he absolutely hits on the uncomfortable reality that is now in play for the Bucks organization, fans and the city of Milwaukee.

There’s plenty of conjecture that exists when broaching the topic about Giannis Antetokounmpo’s future with the Milwaukee Bucks.

That has and certainly will not change after the Bucks not only failed to reach the NBA Finals this year, even under these unprecedented circumstances, but took a step back in doing so.

When accepting his second Most Valuable Player award last month, Antetokounmpo talked about his future in Milwaukee in light of the ending of the season and his well-documented meeting with co-owner Marc Lasry:

"“As long as everybody is on the same page and as long as everybody is fighting for the same thing every single day, which is to be a champion, I don’t see why not be in Milwaukee for the next 15 years.”"

Antetokounmpo’s agent, Alex Saratsis, has even gone on the record when it came to the MVP’s future as late as February during the All-Star break by saying the following:

"“I think he’s someone who could easily say, ‘I’d like to be in Milwaukee my entire career.’ I think he’s also someone who, depending on how the team does, could say, ‘I need a change.’ But for him, staying is absolutely a viable option.”"

But in the rare occasions that Antetokounmpo has discussed his future in Milwaukee, it has always come under the guise of winning big and compiling title banners, the latter of which the Bucks have failed to do so over the last two seasons specifically.

This is the first true instance in Antetokounmpo’s NBA career where he’ll be able to flex and dictate the terms of his and the Bucks’ outlook with his voice influencing what the organization does.

Among the many details to come out of his meeting with Lasry was the need for the organization be creative when building their roster and more specifically, going into the luxury tax next season. What that looks like specifically remains to be seen in the weeks and months ahead. But that alone, though, has vastly differed to how Antetokounmpo even operated when the Bucks were looking for reinforcements last offseason as The Athletic’s Eric Nehm ($$) divulged earlier this year.

The Bucks have certainly felt the urgency before to build up a viable supporting cast around Antetokounmpo before, specifically before Mike Budenholzer first arrived to Milwaukee. An injection of life and the taste of winning soon came thereafter, but not yet the ultimate goal that Antetokounmpo and the Bucks desire.

Now the urgency to win at the highest level is all around the Bucks and the organization at large. All while Antetokounmpo himself holds the cards and will influence how the Bucks reload up their foundation around him to achieve such a gargantuan task ahead.