Giannis Antetokounmpo has once again moved to silence speculation about his future, making it clear he has no intention of asking out of Milwaukee, now or ever.
“There will never be a chance, and there will never be a moment that I will come out and say, ‘I want a trade,’” Antetokounmpo told The Athletic, following the Bucks’ 120–113 loss to the Golden State Warriors, according to ESPN. “That’s not in my nature.”
With trade rumors swirling as the deadline approaches and Milwaukee sitting outside the playoff picture, Antetokounmpo doubled down on where he stands with the franchise that drafted him.
“My plan is to be here for the rest of my career,” he said. “If they don’t want me … I’m not the one in charge. I am an employee.”
He added, “I am not going anywhere. I am invested in this team. I want to turn this team around. I want to play good basketball. I want to be healthy. I want to help my teammates. I want to win games. The last six games we’ve played, we’re 4-2. We have a lot of games in front of us. I’m locked the f— in. I’m locked in. My priority is just staying healthy.”
Last month that the Bucks have not engaged rival teams about a potential deal involving their superstar, instead focusing on ways to improve the roster around him, ESPN reported.
Despite that, outside noise has continued to follow Milwaukee’s uneven start to the season.
Antetokounmpo, who turned 31 in December, is averaging 29.5 points, 10 rebounds and 5.5 assists while missing 14 games due to injury. Even with those numbers, the Bucks have hovered near the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings, something that has fueled his urgency.
Trade chatter intensified over the summer after ESPN reported discussions between Milwaukee and New York, with the Knicks emerging as a potential landing spot.
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