Rather than dwelling on it, the Milwaukee Bucks and Doc Rivers made it clear that parting ways would be the best course of action this summer. Immediately after the regular season finale, the two parted ways, allowing the Bucks to get a sense of finality on the situation. Now, they can only hope that they are granted the same luxury with Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Bucks and Giannis need to figure this out
The entire NBA is waiting for this situation to end. Either commit to Milwaukee or flat-out demand that they trade you. The behind the scenes chatter making its way into the public has only made the entire thing all the more tiresome. Giannis clearly has a desire to play elsewhere but is telling the public that he won't shut the door on a return to Milwaukee.
If this saga drags out all the way until October 1, when the Greek Freak is extension-eligible, it will be yet another drama-filled summer.
It could also end up costing them in major ways. First and foremost, no coach will commit to the team without clarity on Giannis' situation. If the team wants a big fish like Taylor Jenkins, he will certainly be more likely to accept the job with a superstar in town. Not being able to tell him one way or another is a recipe for disaster that could turn him or other candidates off.
The same goes for their roster-building process. Free agents will certainly be wondering if they'd be wise to commit without knowing whether or not Giannis, who could earn them a lot of money due to helping propel this team to more success, will be in town. There is a big difference between joining a team ready to contend and a team suddenly embracing a transitional retooling.
The sooner everyone gets this figured out, the better
Ideally, the Milwaukee Bucks are already having conversations with Giannis. They cannot offer him that historic extension until October 1, of course, but speaking to him about the team's vision for the foreseeable future would be a nice head start. Who could be the coach? What big swings might the team look into? How quickly can this team get back into contention?
These are things that will demand answers and could sway Giannis one way or the other. No matter what those answers are, one thing is clear: waiting isn't the answer. The Milwaukee Bucks waited until the last minute at the trade deadline to tell teams they weren't moving Giannis. In the summer, it will be far more crucial that they make their choice sooner rather than later.
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