Brook Lopez is officially no longer with the Milwaukee Bucks, as he agreed to sign a two-year, $18 million deal with the Clippers in free agency. Losing Lopez is a tough blow for a Milwaukee team that needs to do everything possible this offseason to convince Giannis Antetokounmpo to stay after ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania reported at the end of the Bucks' season that the superstar is "open-minded" about leaving Wisconsin.
Since that report, there hasn't been a lot of chatter on the Giannis trade front. Kevin Durant garnered the majority of attention before the Suns traded him to the Rockets before the draft. An Antetokounmpo trade request would've dominated headlines, but one hasn't happened, at least not yet.
Giannis is closely monitoring the moves that Milwaukee is making this summer. No longer having Lopez around won't be the thing that pushes Antetokounmpo to ask for a trade, but it could be one of several factors that lead to Giannis walking out the door.
Bucks can only hope that Giannis will stay in Milwaukee
The East is wide open, which gives Giannis an incentive to stay in Milwaukee because going to the West will make it more difficult for him to win his desired second title.
The Bucks were one of the best teams in the league for several years, but that wasn't the case the past few seasons. A series of poor decisions and poor injury luck led to Milwaukee being eliminated in the first round of the playoffs for three consecutive seasons. Giannis is one of the best players in the world, and the front office hasn't done its part in building a winning roster around him.
It will be a win this offseason if Lopez is the most notable player from the 2021 championship squad to leave Milwaukee. Giannis staying with the Bucks, at least for the first half of the 2025-26 season, is the outcome that every fan is rooting for.
Don't get too comfortable with things being quiet about a Giannis trade, though. As NBA fans know, things can change in an instant. Hopefully, Lopez leaving isn't a sign of what's to come.