Trade chatter surrounding Giannis Antetokounmpo took a major toll on the Milwaukee Bucks' locker room all season. Rumors before the season that he wanted to land with the New York Knicks had an impact on this team, and it was anything but positive. Rather than focusing on basketball, all of the focus on the team was on Giannis' availability leading up to the NBA Trade Deadline.
Knowing the toll it took on teammates and management, the Greek Freak admits that he wishes he had handled things differently. Serving as a guest on the first episode of Gogis Garage, the podcast of former Milwaukee Bucks guard Goran Dragic, Giannis addressed the trade chatter, wishing this could have been nipped in the bud from day one.
“If I could turn back time, I would maybe come out a little bit earlier and say, ‘Hey, guys, this ends today. Look at me in the eyes. I’m staying with Milwaukee until further notice. It ends today. Stop making stories, and after stories, and after stories.’"
Trade chatter did a number on the Bucks
As Bobby Portis said on a recent episode of FanDuel's Run It Back, Giannis has to make a decision on his future quickly this summer to get rid of the "black clouds" that are always around. Throughout this past season, it felt like a new Giannis rumor came out every day. No one knew if he'd be there the next day, making it hard to focus on the task at hand of competing.
Giannis coming out and silencing things a lot sooner could have helped this team mightily.
Yet, a full commitment would have been needed. Even in his quote to Dragic, Giannis added: "until further notice." Throughout the season, when asked about his status with the Bucks, the forward often uttered things like "I'm a Buck today," or "as of today, I'm a Buck," which left the door open to speculation. A simple "I'm staying here" would have been needed to quiet the talking heads.
Would Giannis saying from day one that he's committed to the Milwaukee Bucks change everything that happened this season? No. They were still ravaged by injuries, and the coaching situation didn't help much, either. However, it likely could have done some good for the locker room, allowing players to know their leader didn't potentially have one foot out the door on any given day.
Giannis, Bucks need to figure this out quickly
There is no objective more pressing for the Milwaukee Bucks this summer than figuring out just what Giannis wants to do. They absolutely cannot afford to let this saga drag on throughout the summer, as it could cost them head coaching options and potential roster upgrades. Those "black clouds" hanging over the franchise need to be eradicated.
If Giannis has made up his mind and is ready to pack his bags, it would be in the best interest of both sides to make it happen quickly. Not subtle messaging or half-in, half-out measures. The Bucks must move quickly to establish which direction they plan to go in, and it all starts with what their franchise icon wants to do moving forward.
Unlike this past season, hopefully Giannis' intentions will be clear from day one this summer.
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