Giannis Antetokounmpo has generated quite a lot of attention from the NBA media and fans with his most recent stance regarding his future with the Milwaukee Bucks. As some may have already heard, the Greek Freak recently made it clear that he had no plans of signing a new contract or extension with the Bucks unless they were all on the same page and willing to make sacrifices to win another NBA championship.
Although Antetokounmpo managed to win an NBA title after eliminating the Phoenix Suns in the 2020-2021 NBA Finals, the past few years have ended in disappointing postseason exits for the Bucks. Fans will remember that they lost to the Boston Celtics in the second round of the playoffs during the 2021-2022 NBA playoffs. Moreover, the team was eliminated in just 5 games by the Miami Heat in the first round of the 2022-2023 NBA playoffs.
Since Giannis has already developed a taste for winning an NBA title, he announced that creating new memories and winning more championships is his ultimate goal. However, recent reports from anonymous NBA executives indicate that the Bucks’ championship window might just be over. That said, let us delve deeper and find out more about their current predicament.
Are the Milwaukee Bucks too old to contend for an NBA title?
The Bucks are a small market team that struggles to attract superstar-free agents. The team likely struggled in order to find players such as Jrue Holiday and Brook Lopez to pair up with a young Giannis. Since those players were in their prime when joining the Bucks, it makes sense that they are now out of it just when Antetokounmpo is entering his own prime.
This undoubtedly causes problems for the Milwaukee Bucks. At the moment, Khris Middleton is 32 years old and growing more injury-prone with each passing year. Jrue Holiday has already begun contemplating retirement at 33 years of age. Additionally, Brook Lopez is 35 years old and clearly approaching the back end of his career.
Therefore, an NBA executive voiced out his disbelief in the Bucks’ ability to contend for a title in a recent report, “That team has run its course and is a year or two away from aging out of contention.”
It would be in the best interest of the Bucks to sign younger players and pair them alongside Giannis. However, we have no way of knowing whether Antetokounmpo wants to go to war with a new squad or continue to show faith in the same core. Nonetheless, he wants the Bucks to make significant changes soon. We look forward to seeing how this situation unfolds over the next few years.
