Giannis Antetokounmpo

A meeting between Giannis Antetokounmpo's agent and Milwaukee Bucks co-owners Marc Lasry and Wes Edens helped seal the deal to keep the two-time NBA MVP with the only franchise he's ever known.

Per The Athletic's Shams Charania, Eric Nehm and Sam Amick, Lasry and Edens "flew to Chicago on Dec. 12 for a midday meeting with [agent Alex] Saratsis" that ultimately ended with Antetokounmpo convinced the Bucks were committed to winning for the long haul. 

On Tuesday, three days after that reported meeting, Antetokounmpo announced on Twitter he was signing a five-year extension with the Bucks:

Saratsis told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski the deal is worth $228 million and includes an opt-out after the fourth year.

The report noted the Bucks first formally presented Antetokounmpo with that supermax offer on Dec. 5 during an in-person discussion at his home. The meeting "lasted several hours" and included the team's brass laid out its strategy moving forward:

"Milwaukee made a series of offseason acquisitions, including trading for Holiday, an All-Star guard and two-way stalwart, to enhance the roster after last season’s second-round playoff defeat. After the potential Bogdan Bogdanovic acquisition fell apart, the Bucks’ front office had a plan in place. It was prepared for the moment, signing key role players in DJ Augustin, Bobby Portis, Bryn Forbes, Torrey Craig and re-signing Pat Connaughton."

Antetokounmpo had until Dec. 21 to sign the extension. If he hadn't, the 26-year-old would have been eligible for free agency next summer and subject of speculation throughout the 2020-21 season. 

Instead of putting himself and the Bucks under that intense microscope, Antetokounmpo will be able to focus all of his attention on bringing a championship to the organization. He's led them to the NBA's best regular-season record in each of the past two seasons, but they haven't reached the Finals since 1974. 

There will be a new MVP in the NBA this season. Well, at least if oddsmakers are to be trusted. 

FanDuel currently has Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic (+410) as the favorite to win the 2020-21 MVP award with two-time defending winner Giannis Antetokounmpo a close second (+480). Those two are the prohibitive favorites, followed by a slew of other star players:  

• Anthony Davis: +850
• Stephen Curry: +850
• James Harden: +1000
• Kevin Durant: +1300
• LeBron James: +1500
• Damian Lillard: +1900
• Kawhi Leonard: +1900
• Jayson Tatum: +2600
• Joel Embiid: +3000

Leonard looks like a sneakily strong play, at least initially, though his history of load management to remain healthy throughout the regular season hurts his chances. Likewise for Embiid, though it's probably too ambitious to expect him to be in the MVP running regardless. 

Durant coming back from a ruptured Achilles makes him a risk, as does James likely managing his workload during the regular season. No one knows where Harden will end up playing his whole season or how happy he'll be.

Davis and Curry are always threats to win the award, though if Doncic makes another leap like he did last year (28.8 PPG, 9.4 RPG, 8.8 APG, 1.0 SPG), it will be a moot point. 

Consider that and some voter fatigue regarding the Greek Freak after two straight MVPs, and it's easy to see why Doncic is the early favorite. 

As soon as he formally puts pen to paper on his new contract, the Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo will get a payout that is alone worth more than double what he has earned so far in the NBA.

Antetokounmpo announced Tuesday he intends to sign a five-year supermax extension with the Bucks. Per The Athletic's Shams Charania, the deal is for five years and $228.2 million and allows the two-time reigning MVP to opt out in 2025:

According to Basketball Reference, Antetokounmpo has earned just under $81.1 million through his first seven seasons. The number will rise to $108.6 million when adding in the 2020-21 campaign and $336.8 million if he play out the deal through 2025.

By pledging his future to Milwaukee, the four-time All-Star is making history. His contract is the biggest ever, eclipsing Russell Westbrook's five-year, $206.8 million supermax extension he signed with the Oklahoma City Thunder in September 2017, per Spotrac. He's also on track to have the highest-ever annual salary ($45.6 million).

His decision could carry significant ramifications across the league beyond just widening the Bucks' championship window. Superteams aren't going away, but marquee stars in non-marquee markets may follow his lead and stick in their surroundings a little longer.

Of course, this doesn't guarantee Antetokounmpo won't leave Milwaukee before the full term of his supermax extension expires. 

In the summer of 2018, Westbrook hosted a party to coincide with Paul George's declaration of his intention to re-sign with the Oklahoma City Thunder. One year later, the Thunder traded George to the Los Angeles Clippers at his behest. 

But this is a conversation in which to delve deeper on a later day. For now, Bucks fans should enjoy getting to watch Antetokounmpo, and the 26-year-old can begin looking forward to the day that first paycheck from his upcoming contract hits his direct deposit.

Giannis Antetokounmpo agreed to sign a five-year extension with the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday, but the team could have been forced to trade him without a deal in place, according to Shams Charania, Eric Nehm, and Sam Amick of The Athletic.

Per The Athletic, the Bucks "would have seriously considered whether they needed to take trade calls on him" if there were no assurances from Antetokounmpo ahead of the season.

The two-time MVP could have become a free agent next summer, and Milwaukee might have been better off getting some return in a trade rather than letting him leave for free in the offseason.

Instead, the forward announced his intention to remain with the team:

The player's agent, Alex Saratsis, confirmed Antetokounmpo will make $228 million over five years as part of his supermax deal, via ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

Even after a pair of disappointing playoff performances over the last two years, Milwaukee remains a top contender for the NBA title after finishing with the best record in the league in each of those seasons.

According to FanDuel, the Bucks have the second-best odds to win it all at +550 ($100 bet wins $550).

The addition of Jrue Holiday to a lineup that already includes Giannis, Khris Middleton, Brook Lopez and more could make this a difficult team to beat in 2020-21.

The Bucks acquired Holiday in a four-team deal last month. They mortgaged much of their future in the process, trading two future first-round picks along with two pick swaps. Losing Antetokounmpo for nothing likely would have set the team back for years.

Fortunately, the squad remains in good position with one of the top players in the NBA and a strong supporting cast.

Milwaukee opens the regular season against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden on Dec. 23. 

The Milwaukee Bucks reportedly explored the possibility of acquiring Victor Oladipo from the Indiana Pacers on the basis of his existing rapport with Giannis Antetokounmpo, according to The Athletic's Shams Charania, Eric Nehm and Sam Amick.

"However, this offseason consisted of Antetokounmpo spending time with Indiana Pacers two-time All-Star Victor Oladipo, working out and hanging out abroad, sources said," the report said. "It is one of the major reasons the Bucks pursued Oladipo and made an offer for him in the offseason, according to sources."

The report came after Antetokounmpo announced his plans to sign a supermax extension with the Bucks:

Bleacher Report's Jake Fischer reported Nov. 25 that Oladipo "was discussed in numerous trade scenarios, sources said, but Indiana ultimately declined Milwaukee's advances." One hypothetical trade package included Donte DiVincenzo, George Hill and the No. 24 selection in the 2020 NBA draft.

DiVincenzo was also a part of the rumored sign-and-trade for then-Sacramento Kings guard Bogdan Bogdanovic that abruptly fell through.

The draft pick was subsequently included in the four-team trade in which the Bucks got Jrue Holiday from the New Orleans Pelicans.

Especially since it didn't adversely impact the likelihood of Antetokounmpo staying in Milwaukee, failing to land Oladipo may not have been that bad for the Bucks.

Adding the two-time All-Star would've meant sacrificing roster depth while almost certainly taking on a big financial commitment since Oladipo's due to hit free agency in 2021. That would've been a steep price for a player who hasn't regained his best form since suffering a ruptured quad tendon in January 2019.

Oladipo averaged 14.5 points and 2.9 assists while shooting 39.4 percent from the field and 31.7 percent from long range in 19 regular-season games upon returning to the court in 2019-20. His playoff performance was only marginally better as he averaged 17.8 points and 2.5 assists in a first-round sweep by the Miami Heat.

Even before the injury, his electric 2017-18 season looks more and more like an outlier as he wasn't replicating the same kind of production to open 2018-19.

Perhaps Oladipo will have a massive 2020-21 and prove all his skeptics wrong, at which point the Bucks would be kicking themselves that they couldn't work something out with the Pacers.

Barring that outcome, it's hard to see how Oladipo would've meaningfully improved Milwaukee's odds of reaching the NBA Finals if he had joined the squad this offseason.

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, a minority partner in the Milwaukee Bucks' ownership group, said Tuesday he was "pretty ecstatic" about the NBA team signing MVP forward Giannis Antetokounmpo to a five-year, $228.2 million contract extension.

Rodgers discussed the deal during an appearance on the Pat McAfee Show:

The two-time NFL MVP also talked about why he joined the Bucks ownership:

Rodgers became a minority owner in April 2018, making him the only active NFL player as a partner within an NBA ownership group.

The franchise is owned by a large group of people, including Jamie Dinan, Mike Fascitelli, Wes Edens and Marc Lasry, rather than a singular individual or family.

Antetokounmpo, the two-time defending NBA MVP and a four-time All-Star, is now under contract with Milwaukee through the 2024-25 season with a player option for 2025-26.

Locking him into a long-term extension shifts the front office's focus back to building a championship roster around him, a goal that's eluded the Bucks despite Giannis' recent dominance.

The Milwaukee Bucks made a huge financial commitment Tuesday by agreeing to sign superstar forward Giannis Antetokounmpo to a five-year contract extension.

Giannis announced the news on Twitter:

Antetokounmpo's agent, Alex Saratsis, confirmed to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski that it is a five-year supermax extension worth $228.2 million.

While the extension won't have an impact on the Bucks' salary cap in 2020-21, it will kick in next season when Milwaukee has $142.9 million in cap allocations, per Spotrac.

For this season, Milwaukee's cap number remains at $135.2 million.

According to Kristian Winfield of the New York Daily News, the NBA salary cap will sit at $109 million this upcoming season. Winfield also noted the luxury-tax threshold for the 2020-21 season is $132.6 million, which the Bucks are slightly over for this season and projected to be over next season as well.

The Bucks have 11 players signed through 2021-22. Aside from Giannis, those with the largest financial commitments attached are Khris Middleton ($35.5 million), Brook Lopez ($13.3 million) and Jrue Holiday ($26.7 million player option).

While it remains possible for Milwaukee to shake up its roster next season and beyond, it isn't likely to have any cap space unless it does something drastic.

Because of that, any acquisitions will have to be made via trade or by signing players to exceptions or minimum contracts.

The Bucks made a big move this offseason in an effort to convince Giannis to sign a long-term deal when they acquired Holiday from the New Orleans Pelicans in late November. That was apparently enough for Antetokounmpo to feel confident about the team's direction.

With a core of Giannis, Holiday and Middleton, plus a solid supporting cast, the Bucks remain one of the top contenders to represent the Eastern Conference in the NBA Finals and potentially win a championship.

While $228 million is a big number, Giannis may be more deserving of it than almost any player in the league.

In addition to being the reigning two-time NBA MVP, Giannis is just 26 years old and has gotten progressively better in each of his seven NBA campaigns.

Last season, Giannis averaged 29.5 points, 13.6 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 1.4 three-pointers made, 1.0 block and 1.0 steal per game while shooting 55.3 percent from the field.

Antetokounmpo is a special player with the ability to lead a team to multiple championships with the right supporting cast, and the Bucks are banking on the fact that they have precisely that.

The once-loaded NBA free-agent class of 2021 has taken a huge hit in the past week with several marquee players agreeing to contract extensions with their current teams. 

Giannis Antetokounmpo is the latest superstar who will stay put, announcing on Tuesday he will sign a five-year extension with the Milwaukee Bucks. 

Alex Saratsis, Antetokounmpo's agent, told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski the extension is worth $228 million and includes an opt-out after the fourth season. 

Antetokounmpo's extension, combined with LeBron James adding two years to his contract with the Los Angeles Lakers and Paul George signing a supermax deal with the Los Angeles Clippers, takes three of the top stars from next summer's class off the board. 

Here's what the 2021 free-agent market could look like as things stand:

• Kawhi Leonard, Los Angeles Clippers (contract includes opt out after 2020-21 season)
• Rudy Gobert, Utah Jazz (unrestricted free agent)
• Victor Oladipo, Indiana Pacers (unrestricted free agent)
• Jrue Holiday, Milwaukee Bucks (contract includes opt out after 2020-21 season)
• Kyle Lowry, Toronto Raptors (unrestricted free agent)
• Chris Paul, Phoenix Suns (contract includes opt out after 2020-21 season)
• DeMar DeRozan, San Antonio Spurs (unrestricted free agent)
• Mike Conley, Utah Jazz (unrestricted free agent)
• LaMarcus Aldridge, San Antonio Spurs (unrestricted free agent)
• Goran Dragic, Miami Heat (contract includes team option for 2021-22 season)

With James and Antetokounmpo off the board, Kawhi Leonard becomes the most intriguing game-changing free agent in the summer of 2021. 

Leonard does have a player option for the 2021-22 season, so it's possible he could stay put if he chooses. This also casts a huge cloud over the Los Angeles Clippers this season coming off what was reportedly a chaotic situation in 2019-20 for the franchise. 

Jovan Buha of The Athletic wrote on Dec. 2 that Clippers players were unhappy with the preferential treatment given to Leonard and George last season:

"If there was one dynamic that showed the issues with some of the preferential treatment the Clippers conceded to Leonard and Paul George last season, and how it affected both other players and staffers, it was Leonard’s pregame privacy request. ... 

"But according to multiple league sources, the perks the Clippers gave Leonard and George began to compromise the standard of the culture they had built over the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons—the very culture that the Clippers used, in part, to attract Leonard and George to Los Angeles."

Despite what happened last season, Leonard remains one of the NBA's best players. He averaged 27.1 points, 7.1 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game for a Clippers team that finished with the second-best record in the Western Conference. 

Leonard is one year removed from being NBA Finals MVP after leading the Toronto Raptors to a championship. The four-time All-Star should still be in his prime for a few more years, as he turns 30 on June 29. 

The 2021 class will look a lot better at the top if Victor Oladipo returns to the form he showed prior to rupturing the quad tendon in his right knee during a game in January 2019. The Indiana Pacers star was clearly limited this year, averaging just 14.5 points on 39.4 percent shooting in 19 regular-season games. 

Oladipo made two consecutive All-Star teams prior to the injury. He averaged a career-high 23.1 points and 5.2 rebounds per game during the 2017-18 season. 

Rudy Gobert is the other prime free agent, though his upside is limited because he's a traditional big man.  The French star is one of the most impactful defensive players in the NBA and is a capable scorer in the paint. He's averaged at least 15 points per game in each of the past two seasons. 

Beyond that trio, though, there are a lot of players over the age of 30 that teams will be looking at. Jrue Holiday's future is uncertain because we don't yet know how he will fit into Mike Budenholzer's system with the Milwaukee Bucks. 

Kyle Lowry (35 on March 25), DeMar DeRozan (32 on Aug. 7), Chris Paul (36 on May 6) and Mike Conley (34 on Oct. 11) are the best of the over-30 group outside of Leonard and Holiday. Paul is the only one with the option of remaining with his current team if he opts in to the $44.2 million he's owed in 2021-22. 

Even though some of the drama has been taken away from the summer of 2021, there's still going to be plenty of significant player movement after this season. Many things will change for stars and teams once games get going, as is always the case in the NBA whenever we think we have the league figured out.

In signing a five-year contract extension with the Bucks, Giannis Antetokounmpo showed his loyalty to the city of Milwaukee during an era where players are seemingly itching to find themselves a new home. 

He also became the highest-paid player in NBA history.

The five-year, $228.2 million extension Antetoknoumpo said Tuesday he is signing is the largest contract in league history, eclipsing Russell Westbrook's five-year, $206.8 million deal.

The per-year average of Antetokounmpo's contract ($45.6 million) also eclipses the deal recently signed by LeBron James, which averages $44.5 million per season. In 2025-26, Antetokounmpo is set to make a league-record $51.9 million.

"This is my home, this is my city.. I'm blessed to be able to be a part of the Milwaukee Bucks for the next 5 years. Let's make these years count. The show goes on, let's get it," Antetokounmpo wrote in an Instagram post announcing his extension.

Giannis had until Dec. 21 to agree to an extension, or he would have been an unrestricted free agent next summer. Speculation regarding his future began increasing in recent weeks, as the Bucks' supermax offer sat for most of the offseason unsigned.

Some of that appears to be logistical, with Antetoknoumpo spending most of his offseason out of the United States. However, it was also clear the Bucks needed to make moves to improve the roster around him and did so by sending three first-round picks and two pick swaps to the New Orleans Pelicans for Jrue Holiday.

Retaining Antetoknoumpo is nothing short of a massive win for the Bucks and, to a certain extent, the NBA. Some fans have become increasingly disillusioned by superstar players leaving small markets to team up in free agency in major markets, and the league's supermax contract structure, which was designed to incentivize players to stay with teams, has largely backfired. Players have outright turned down the supermax to find a better situation, pushed for trades after signing the supermax or become cap albatrosses as their play failed to live up to the salary.

While Giannis could request a trade at some point if the Bucks' supporting cast continues failing in the postseason, that does not appear to be in the cards anytime soon. Plus, a quarter of a billion dollars probably buys a whole lot of loyalty from a guy who was just happy to have a smoothie six years ago.