Milwaukee Bucks

The Milwaukee Bucks reportedly pursued Brooklyn Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie and Indiana Pacers guard Victor Oladipo this offseason, per Shams Charania of The Athletic.

Dinwiddie averaged a career-high 20.6 points and 6.8 assists per game last year. Oladipo, a two-time All-Star, posted 14.5 points per game as he worked his way back from a ruptured quadriceps tendon suffered in January 2019 that sidelined him for 12 months.

Milwaukee did add a starting guard in Jrue Holiday, who the Bucks acquired from the New Orleans Pelicans as part of a four-team trade. The 30-year-old Holiday amassed 19.1 points, 6.7 assists, 4.8 rebounds and 1.6 steals for the Pels in 2019-20.

The Bucks are trying to break through the Eastern Conference postseason gauntlet after finishing with the NBA's top regular-season record each of the past two seasons only to fall short in the playoffs.

Milwaukee earned the East's No. 1 seed in 2018-19 but lost to the eventual NBA champion Toronto Raptors in six games in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Last season ended with a five-game defeat against the eventual Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat in the second round.

The Bucks' window to compete for an NBA title is still wide open for at least one more year: Back-to-back NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and All-Star wing Khris Middleton are back in the mix, and adding Holiday gives the team an excellent third scoring option. Holiday can also play both guard positions, and he's exceptional on defense as well.

However, Antetokounmpo can become an unrestricted free agent in 2021, and that looms large over the franchise, who have enjoyed their best regular seasons since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was controlling the paint in the 1960s and 1970s.

The time to win is now given recent playoff struggles and the potential that Antetokounmpo could head elsewhere in a year, hence the team's offseason activity.

Milwaukee opens its 2020-21 season on Dec. 23 at the Boston Celtics.

The Milwaukee Bucks may be looking and acting like a "championship or bust" organization, but their MVP apparently disagrees.

"I don't believe this is a championship-or-bust situation. [But] nobody wants to win a championship more than me," Giannis Antetokounmpo told reporters Wednesday at his media session.

The Bucks acted like a franchise with its proverbial back against the wall this offseason, trading five draft picks (three first-round picks and two swaps) as part of a deal that landed them Jrue Holiday. They also took a swing-and-miss at a sign-and-trade for Bogdan Bogdanovic and made a series of odd, cap-related errors that were arguably more signs of the understandable desperation permeating in Milwaukee. 

Antetokounmpo's comments are both a necessary way to quell public scrutiny and a little odd, given he is the reason the Bucks are absolutely feeling "championship or bust" potential. If this were a championship-or-bust situation in Antetokounmpo's eyes, the ink would have been dry on the supermax contract that's been sitting in front of him for weeks.

Instead, Giannis has given no indication he plans to sign the contract that would pay him around a quarter of a billion dollars and keep him in Milwaukee for five more seasons. He has until Dec. 21 to make that decision, but the fact that the deal has not been signed yet is a decent indication Giannis doesn't want to put all his eggs in the Milwaukee basket.

That creates pressure that is both understandable—Giannis desperately wants a championship, with the Bucks or not—and potentially crippling. The Bucks folded in each of the last two postseasons.

While Holiday is often mentioned by players as the game's most underrated star, he has one All-Star selection to his name (in 2012-13, no less) and has never made an All-NBA team. It's fair to wonder if his acquisition is enough to put Milwaukee over the top.

If it's not, the Bucks' big offseason bet may go bust.

Giannis Antetokounmpo has until Dec. 21 to sign his supermax extension with the Milwaukee Bucks, but he said Wednesday that his attention is elsewhere.

"Right now, I am not focused on that. I am just trying to focus on myself," he told reporters.

Antetokounmpo can make $228 million over five years with the new deal but could become a free agent next summer if he chooses not to sign. Brian Windhorst of ESPN reported in November the team was "cautiously confident" about Giannis staying with Milwaukee.

There is still no guarantee he signs the extension before the start of the season. Either way, Giannis hopes not to discuss it much going forward.

"I know this is big for the city of Milwaukee, NBA world and media world. But I'm a private person," he told reporters.

Antetokounmpo's decision is massive considering his impact on the court. He has won the MVP award in each of the last two years, and he took home the Defensive Player of the Year award last season as well.

He finished 2019-20 averaging 29.5 points, 13.6 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game, and the 26-year-old is still improving. After leading the Bucks to the NBA's best record in each of the past two years, it's clear whichever team he plays for will be a top contender.

The question is whether he can win a title in Milwaukee after disappointing playoff losses the last two years.

"I don't believe this is a 'championship or bust' situation. (But) nobody wants to win a championship more than me," he told reporters.

Milwaukee was aggressive in improving its roster this offseason, notably adding Jrue Holiday to provide help in the backcourt. The Bucks can only hope Antetokounmpo feels that's enough to get them over the top in 2020-21.

Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo has until Dec. 21 to sign an extension with the team that drafted him at No. 15 in 2013, but according to a report, the Bucks have "gone kind of silent" on the matter after their failed attempt to acquire Bogdan Bogdanovic. 

"I don't know what that means," ESPN's Zach Lowe said on The Jump Tuesday. "But I know that that optimism, I just haven't been hearing that." 

Antetokounmpo can sign a supermax extension this offseason, but before he did so, he reportedly put pressure on the Bucks to sign Bogdanovic, and the team had a sign-and-trade deal in place that eventually fell through. 

Bleacher Report's Jake Fischer reported in November that the deal Antetokounmpo and his brother, Thanasis, spent the summer cultivating was going to come under investigation by the league for tampering.

While the Bucks did add Jrue Holiday this offseason in a four-team trade, Fischer said that the now-New Orleans Pelican was one of Antetokounmpo's priorities:

"Aside from the obvious spacing Bogdanovic's shooting would provide Milwaukee's offense, Giannis admired his fellow European's toughness and swagger, sources said. He viewed Bogdanovic as someone you could go to war with in the postseason."

If Antetokounmpo signs, he would earn $228 million over the next five years, per Jack Maloney of CBS Sports. His teammates are anxious to see the star ink the deal, and Khris Middleton and Pat Connaughton presented the back-to-back league MVP with pens for his birthday Sunday to encourage him to stick around (h/t Eric Woodyard of ESPN). 

His decision to pick up one of those pens and stay in Milwaukee would ensure that the Bucks, who have made the playoffs in each of the last four seasons, are contenders for a title for the foreseeable future. 

Giannis Antetokounmpo's Milwaukee Bucks teammates weren't exactly subtle when they presented him with a gift for his 26th birthday.

Khris Middleton and Pat Connaughton decided to give the two-time reigning NBA MVP a pen, a reference to his unsigned supermax extension.

"We definitely sung a happy birthday after practice," Middleton said, per ESPN's Eric Woodyard. "Me and PC thought the perfect gift to him from our teammates is just to give him a pen. So there were pens in his locker for his birthday present. I told him, 'Those should be some of the best birthday gifts he's ever gotten,' so hopefully he enjoys it and uses it."

The deadline for Antetokounmpo to sign is Dec. 21, at which point the Bucks would have to wait until the offseason to know whether their best player is going to stick around.

The Miami Heat signed Bam Adebayo to an extension, while Anthony Davis and LeBron James pledged their long-term futures to the Los Angeles Lakers. Naturally, that has led some to wonder whether the Heat and Lakers are under the impression Antetokounmpo isn't leaving, otherwise they would've allowed themselves more financial flexibility.

However, B/R's Jake Fischer reported that after Milwaukee's failed pursuit of Bogdan Bogdanovic, "There has since been a categorical step back in the Bucks' confidence in getting a long-term commitment from their superstar, even if Antetokounmpo ultimately accepts the franchise's offer of a five-year, $228 million supermax extension." 

Who knows? Maybe Antetokounmpo is passionate about calligraphy, and pens are the one way to win him over.

After back-to-back disappointing playoff exits, the pressure is on for the Milwaukee Bucks going into the 2020-21 NBA season.

In each of the last two years, the Bucks finished with the best record in the NBA, and Giannis Antetokounmpo took home the league's MVP award. In both seasons, the team was eliminated before the NBA Finals. 

This year's run ended with a shocking 4-1 loss to the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Although the 2020 postseason offered unique challenges—played entirely inside a bubble in Orlando, Florida, with no fans or home-court advantage—the team still fell short of expectations.

With Antetokounmpo heading into free agency in 2021, the team's window of contention could be shrinking.

        

2020-21 Bucks Schedule Details

Season Opener: Dec. 23 at Boston Celtics

Championship Odds: +550 (via FanDuel)

First-Half Schedule: NBA.com

     

Top Matchups

Los Angeles Lakers: Jan. 21

After winning the 2020 NBA title, the Los Angeles Lakers are going to be the measuring stick for every team during the upcoming season.

Both the Lakers and Bucks entered the postseason with high expectations, but it was the former who lived up to them. LeBron James secured the fourth title of his career, while Anthony Davis was dominant on both ends of the court.

Los Angeles should be just as dangerous in the upcoming season, making this one of the marquee events on the schedule.

The individual battle between LeBron and Giannis will also be must-see television, especially with James trying to show the doubters he deserved the regular-season MVP award last year.

Milwaukee will have to come through with its best effort in this game because Los Angeles will be in no mood to concede its title.

       

Miami Heat: Dec. 29, Dec. 30

The other NBA finalist represents a more personal matchup for the Bucks.

Miami stunned Milwaukee in the second round of the playoffs, potentially changing the trajectory for both organizations.

Jimmy Butler was near-unstoppable in the series, averaging 23.4 points per game while shooting 53.2 percent from the field. It even raised question marks about Antetokounmpo's defensive prowess as he spent limited time defending the guard directly.

This could be the first chance to avenge that series defeat, with the Bucks trying to show they are truly the best team in the conference.

Bam Adebayo will be tough to defend, and the three-point shooting of Tyler Herro and Duncan Robinson can change any game, but Milwaukee's depth could be up to the task in this regular-season battle.

     

Season Forecast

Regular-season success has not been a problem for Milwaukee and shouldn't be an issue next year, either.

Not only is Antetokounmpo back entering a contract year, but the team has made important improvements with the additions of Jrue Holiday, Bryn Forbes, Torrey Craig, Bobby Portis and Jordan Nwora through trades, free agency and the draft.

The team also returns key players like Khris Middleton, Brook Lopez and others to again create one of the deepest rotations in the NBA.

This type of talent will ensure the Bucks remain at or near the top of the standings in the Eastern Conference.

Of course, the league will remain competitive in 2020-21.

The Heat will return with plenty of confidence after their run in the playoffs, while the Boston Celtics, Indiana Pacers and Philadelphia 76ers could be even better if they stay healthy next year.

The Toronto Raptors also aren't going away after retaining Fred VanVleet in free agency.

With Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer still likely limiting minutes for his star players to keep them fresh, it wouldn't be surprising to see the team's winning percentage drop a bit next season.

The team will still be a force, though, doing everything it can to figure out how to win in the playoffs. 

    

Record Prediction: 52-20

Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo divulged Tuesday that being the top player on a team is not of the utmost importance to him.

In an interview with Greek channel COSMOTE TV (h/t Aris Barkas of EuroHoops.net), Giannis said he would have no problem playing with other superstars provided it yields championships:

"This is a statement that I have never made before. If LeBron [James] and Kevin Durant and Anthony Davis came to Milwaukee; I would have been good with that. I am not interested if I am the top, second or third name, ok? Because I want to win. ... For sure when I was 18 or 19 years old, maybe I didn't understand what you need to do to win. But right now, I am 25 and I want to win because when I retire, that's what people will remember. And if I got LeBron, KD, Davis, if all those came, I wouldn't mind at all. I don't care if I am the top [player] on the team."   

The Bucks have finished with the NBA's best record in each of the past two seasons, but playoff success as eluded them, as they fell to the Toronto Raptors in the 2019 Eastern Conference Finals and were eliminated in the second round of last season's playoffs by the Miami Heat.

With the Bucks unable to get over the hump, there has been no shortage of speculation that Giannis will play out the final year of his contract in 2020-21 before signing with another team that he believes can give him a better opportunity to win a championship.

The Bucks have clearly made an effort to appease Giannis by acquiring guard Jrue Holiday from the New Orleans Pelicans, but few would consider him to be a true superstar.

Although Antetokounmpo spoke in terms of being open to superstars joining him in Milwaukee, none of the players he mentioned seems likely to do that. LeBron is entrenched in L.A. after winning a championship last season, Davis is likely to re-sign with the Lakers and Durant is gearing up for his first healthy season with the Brooklyn Nets after missing all of last season because of his Achilles injury.    

What Giannis' comment does suggest is that forming a superteam isn't something he opposes, which could be a bad thing for the Bucks if they are unable to put one around him.

The current NBA is the era of the superteam, as most of the recent champions have boasted multiple superstars.

The Golden State Warriors won three championships, two of which featured Durant, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green. Also, LeBron led the Cleveland Cavaliers to a title alongside Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love before doing it with Davis in L.A.

Even the Toronto Raptors had multiple stars, with Kawhi Leonard as the anchor surrounded by fellow All-Star Kyle Lowry and budding superstar Pascal Siakam.

While Holiday and Khris Middleton are quality players, it can be argued that Giannis doesn't have the second star he needs to go the distance, which has to be a major concern for the Bucks and their fans.

Winning a championship is clearly the No. 1 priority for Antetokounmpo, and he doesn't sound picky about giving up some of the glory to make it happen.

The Milwaukee Bucks have agreed to a deal with former first-round pick Nik Stauskas. 

Stauskas' agent, Mark Bartelstein, told ESPN's Zach Lowe that the 27-year-old has agreed to a one-year pact with the Bucks. 

Stauskas spent last season in Spain with Kirolbet Baskonia. He averaged 8.2 points and 1.5 assists in 40 games before parting ways with the club in February. 

After a successful two-year college career at Michigan, including being named 2013-14 Big Ten Player of the Year, Stauskas was selected No. 8 overall by the Sacramento Kings in the 2014 draft. 

The 6'6" shooting guard bounced around the league for five seasons. He had stints with the Kings, Philadelphia 76ers, Brooklyn Nets, Portland Trail Blazers and Cleveland Cavaliers.

During the 2018-19 season, Stauskas split time between the Blazers and Cavs. The Canada native averaged 5.9 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 68 games off the bench for both teams. He's a 35.3 percent shooter from three-point range in his career. 

The Bucks are looking for backcourt depth after trading George Hill and Eric Bledsoe in the deal to acquire Jrue Holiday from the New Orleans Pelicans. Stauskas will likely be given a chance to compete for a roster spot during training camp. 

As the Milwaukee Bucks continue to try to convince Giannis Antetokounmpo to re-sign, their addition of Jrue Holiday may have been a good way to entice the reigning two-time NBA MVP. 

On the most recent episode of the Brian Windhorst & The Hoop Collective podcast (h/t HoopsHype.com), ESPN's Malika Andrews reported "people close to Giannis (said) that that was a good signal that they were able to get a guy like that who is a little bit better shooter than Eric Bledsoe."

Antetokounmpo is eligible to sign a supermax contract with the Bucks until Dec. 21. An extension would be worth $228 million over five years. 

Windhorst reported Monday that the feeling from the Bucks front office is they have "gone from cautiously optimistic to cautiously confident in recent weeks" that they will be able to keep their franchise player. 

Milwaukee officially acquired Holiday from the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday as part of a four-team deal that included the Denver Nuggets and Oklahoma City Thunder. The Bucks sent Bledsoe, two first-round draft picks and the rights for two pick swaps to New Orleans. 

Milwaukee dealt George Hill to the Thunder, while the Bucks' draft rights to R.J. Hampton went to the Nuggets. 

Holiday is regarded as one of the NBA's best two-way guards. The 30-year-old has averaged at least 19 points and six assists per game in each of the past three seasons. 

Antetokounmpo is entering the final year of his contract with Milwaukee. The Greek Freak has led the franchise to the NBA's best regular-season record in each of the past two seasons, but it has been eliminated in the Eastern Conference Finals and Semifinals, respectively. 

For months, Thanasis Antetokounmpo, Giannis Antetokounmpo's brother and a Milwaukee Bucks guard, stayed in regular contact with Bogdan Bogdanovic. They spoke numerous times over the phone, sources said, with Thanasis hoping to eventually court the guard's services this offseason. During a few calls, Giannis communicated his desire in teaming with Bogdanovic.  

Aside from the obvious spacing Bogdanovic's shooting would provide Milwaukee's offense, Giannis admired his fellow European's toughness and swagger, sources said. He viewed Bogdanovic as someone you could go to war with in the postseason.  

Antetokounmpo grew increasingly focused on teaming with Bogdanovic. The Sacramento guard quickly presented Milwaukee's greatest option as the Bucks dealt with a hamstrung cap sheet and limited trade assets.  

When word arrived last week of the Bucks' Monday night coup—agreeing in principle to acquire both Jrue Holiday and Bogdanovic in the waning hours of the league's renewed transaction window—there was an overwhelming sense around the organization, and people with knowledge of Antetokounmpo's thinking, that he would accept the Bucks' supermax extension offer—the ultimate objective of the franchise's 2020 offseason. 

A week later, Bogdanovic plays for the Atlanta Hawks, not the Bucks. And there has since been a categorical step back in the Bucks' confidence in getting a long-term commitment from their superstar, even if Antetokounmpo ultimately accepts the franchise's offer of a five-year, $228 million supermax extension. 

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There has long been optimism Giannis Antetokounmpo will re-sign with the only franchise he's ever known. Any figure around the Bucks, or who has spent time around Antetokounmpo, has always spoken of the superstar's unwavering loyalty. This is a person who once refused to attend the NBA draft unless his brother could come along with him. By all accounts, he enjoys the decibel levels of Milwaukee's market. He does not yearn for the lights of New York or Los Angeles.  

It's also said that Antetokounmpo values being not just the face but the bedrock of the franchise. That is not to characterize him as brimming with ego, rather pride in carrying himself like an organizational pillar. He relishes the responsibility of leading Milwaukee to a championship, like the stars he grew up watching before a wave of player empowerment swept the league. 

And while he may indeed commit to the Bucks before his Dec. 21 deadline, at this juncture, no news is not good news for Milwaukee. At the moment, Antetokounmpo remains in Greece, where he's been training ahead of the regular season. 

Antetokounmpo was pulling levers to help the Bucks help themselves. He had listed several wing players he hoped the Bucks could land in order to fortify his surrounding cast for a better effort at the 2021 championship. Wizards All-Star Bradley Beal was never a realistic option. Pacers All-Star Victor Oladipo was discussed in numerous trade scenarios, sources said, but Indiana ultimately declined Milwaukee's advances. At one point, that included a discussion of Donte DiVincenzo, George Hill and the No. 24 pick in the 2020 draft. 

After agreeing to the parameters of a deal for All-Star point guard Jrue Holiday, the Bucks made a series of free-agency signings to replenish Anteotkounmpo's supporting cast. Milwaukee added a premier backup point guard in D.J. Augustin, a dangerous shooter in Bryn Forbes and a defensive specialist in swingman Torrey Craig. Bobby Portis will also join the Bucks on a one-year deal. 

The sum of these additions simply doesn't equal the impact landing Bogdanovic would have made for Milwaukee, both in terms of adding firepower to the Bucks offense and earned goodwill from Antetokounmpo. 

Sacramento had every reason to engage Milwaukee in trade discussions. Bogdanovic was set to hit restricted free agency this season, and by all accounts, the 28-year-old was searching for an optimum payday the Kings were not entirely prepared to match. The Bucks, sources said, were hoping to agree to a framework of a sign-and-trade that could effectively take Bogdanovic off the market right when free agency was set to open Friday. 

Early conversations centered on sending Eric Bledsoe and the No. 24 pick to Sacramento, sources said. But the Kings insisted on guard DiVincenzo being included in any deal, just as the Pacers did in the talks regarding Oladipo, according to sources. 

Any deal that brought Bledsoe—and the three years, roughly $54.4 million remaining on his contract—back to Sacramento would have cleared the necessary room under the $139 million apron for the Bucks to offer a competitive salary to Bogdanovic. Sacramento brass had known from conversations with Bogdanovic's representatives that the guard was seeking an average annual salary around $18 million. 

Yet all the while, Milwaukee remained in aggressive pursuit of Holiday. And by all accounts, New Orleans management successfully engineered a bidding war for Holiday's services. The Boston Celtics offered Gordon Hayward plus their three first-round picks in last week's draft, it is said. Atlanta is known to have discussed the No. 6 pick, Dewayne Dedmon and sharpshooting youngster Kevin Huerter. Denver and Dallas were also rumored as significant suitors. 

The clock was ticking. Only 48 hours remained before the draft. And despite Bledsoe's salary number being an apparent necessity to match Bogdanovic's preferred number in free agency, Milwaukee moved forward with its Holiday acquisition. 

Bledsoe was also always a centerpiece in any trade for Holiday, one source said. 

Milwaukee went forward in swapping Bledsoe, Hill and three first-round picks, plus two pick swaps, for Holiday. And with limited remaining draft capital to play with, the Bucks returned to talks with Sacramento by reluctantly bringing DiVincenzo onto the table. Milwaukee officials remain bullish on the Villanova product, sources said, but they viewed Bogdanovic as a necessary target in line with Antetokounmpo's wishes. 

Adding Holiday was an obvious upgrade, but Bogdanovic was communicated as Antetokoumpo's preferred addition all offseason. The Antetokounmpo brothers had tried to lure him with the promise of forming a Big Three with Giannis and Khris Middleton. Holiday was an added bonus. 

So with DiVincenzo made available, sources said, the Bucks and Kings agreed in principle early last week. Along with DiVincenzo, Milwaukee would send Ersan Ilyasova and D.J. Wilson to Sacramento in exchange for Bogdanovic and Justin James. Come that Friday, the Bucks would have been able to negotiate contract terms with Bogdanovic's representatives once the free-agent market opened at 6 p.m. ET.  

All players included within the trade framework were notified, sources said. Over the next two days, one Bucks player and his girlfriend were already searching for new homes in Northern California. A real-estate agent even visited one of the properties and sent pictures of the interior. 

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Late that Monday evening, just minutes after the agreement was struck, word reached the news media of Milwaukee and Sacramento's intended sign-and-trade. And during the board of governors' call on Tuesday, several league sources indicated that Bucks governor Marc Lasry stopped just short of bragging about Milwaukee's impressive Monday evening of transactions. However, multiple league personnel participating on the call said they did not remember any Bucks official gloating or any noted behavior or conversation out of the ordinary. 

Either way, at least one rival team filed a formal complaint to the league office Wednesday, sources said. And by that afternoon, the league informed both Milwaukee and Sacramento that it would open an investigation into an alleged sign-and-trade already being agreed to four days before free agency had begun. The league also sent a memo to all 30 teams that afternoon reminding franchises of the NBA's anti-tampering policies, encouraging teams not to "jump the gun" in contacting players under contract with other teams and warning punishments of up to $10 million and draft-pick forfeiture.  

At that juncture, it became clear Milwaukee was no longer a possible landing spot for Bogdanovic. He could have engaged with Bucks leadership Friday, but moving forward with Milwaukee instantly became untenable for the 28-year-old. It would be far too precarious to move forward with the Bucks at the risk of the NBA ultimately determining foul play and blocking the transaction.  

Bogdanovic's camp insisted they never discussed the particulars of an agreement with Bucks officials and that they were only made aware of the negotiations. Bogdanovic even phoned the Antetokounmpos and reiterated he had never agreed to any contract with Milwaukee. 

No matter the intent, no matter the news of Milwaukee and Sacramento's agreement, all indications are the league office would have investigated such a transaction. Commissioner Adam Silver has been as stringent on eliminating evidenced tampering as Giannis has been in wanting Milwaukee to improve its roster.  

And all indications suggest the scale is still tipping in the Bucks' favor. Yet the collapse of this Bogdanovic sign-and-trade leaves the door far too open for a possible Antetokounmpo departure than Bucks officials would like.