Bucks Superstar Acknowledges 'If We Don’t Win A Championship, I Might Get Traded'

The pressure is on this year. As it is every year with a team this talented.

Oct 2, 2023; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34), guard Damian Lillard (0), forward Khris Middleton (22), and center Brook Lopez (11) pose for a picture during media day in Milwaukee. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images / Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

The pressure is on for the Milwaukee Bucks this year. As it is every year with a team this talented. The Bucks boast two surefire first-ballot Hall of Famers. Eight-time All-NBA power forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, 29, is still in his prime — which is saying a lot for a two-time MVP and one-time Defensive Player of the Year. Eight-time All-Star point guard Damian Lillard, 34, is very much no longer in his prime, but remains a great distributor and three-level scorer, nevertheless. Former three-time All-Star Khris Middleton and former All-Star and All-Defensive center Brook Lopez, both on the wrong side of 32, are also terrific contributors, even in their dotage.

During a new conversation with Sam Amick of The Athletic, Antetokounmpo spoke at length about the pressures and stakes at play for Milwaukee heading into 2024-25. Last year, the team fired head coach Adrian Griffin halfway through the year, posting a worse record under his replacement, Doc Rivers. The Bucks finished with a good-not-great 49-33 record and the Eastern Conference's No. 3 seed, but fell in the first round to the underdog Indiana Pacers after injuries befell both Antetokounmpo and Lillard for at least some of the series. Lillard missed two games, Antetokounmpo was shelved for all of them.

“Do you have it in the back of your mind, like, ‘(What) if this year doesn’t go well?’ Yeah, if we don’t win a championship, I might get traded. Yeah, this is the job we live. This is the world we’re living in. It’s everybody,” Antetokounmpo noted wryly to a Milwaukee staffer.

Antetokounmpo has missed most of the Bucks' last two playoff appearances with injuries, a cold hard reality that is not lost on the vet as he heads into his 12th season.

“This year, a challenge for me is to be healthy,” Antetokounmpo said. “A challenge for me is to play in the playoffs, to get out of the f—ing first round. Assert myself even more. Every year for me is important because one day, I’m going to be 35 or 36 or 38 and I’m going to be like, ‘Oh, my prime just went, and I wasn’t able to do something.’ So dominate.”

Nehm notes that other teams are keeping tabs on the Bucks' relative success or failure this year. The 6-foot-11 big man is still under contract through 2026-27, but has a $62.7 million player option for the next season. Should the Bucks fall short again, other clubs no doubt think it's at least possible Antetokounmpo demands a trade out of town.

“On a serious note, this is the job,” Antetokounmpo added. “It’s the profession that we’re in. At any given moment, if you don’t succeed, that might be it for us. It was the same way with the previous coaching staff, and the year before, the players before. … If you don’t do a good enough job, you’re out.”

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