The Milwaukee Bucks offseason has been a wild ride, trading Eric Bledsoe, George Hill, and three future first-round picks to the Pelicans for Jrue Holiday and then thinking for two days they had completed a sign-and-trade for Bogdan Bogdanovic, only to see him sign an offer sheet with the Hawks instead after some miscommunication. In the wake of that miss, they’ve brought back Pat Connaughton and signed D.J. Augustin, Bryn Forbes, Bobby Portis, and Torrey Craig to fill out their rotation.
It’s a solid rebound from the Bogdanovic embarrassment, but as long as their rollercoaster ride ends with Giannis Antetokounmpo signing on the dotted line for his supermax extension this offseason, it was all worth it. On Tuesday, word broke that he had indeed done just that, staying with the organization that drafted him 15th overall in the 2013 NBA Draft and has seen him emerge as the reigning DPOY and two-time MVP.
Breaking: Giannis Antetokounmpo says he is signing a contract extension with the Milwaukee Bucks. The two-time MVP will sign a five-year, $228.2 million supermax extension with the franchise, the largest deal in NBA history, sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) December 15, 2020
Antetokounmpo confirmed the news on his Twitter account.
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. 🤎🙏🏽 pic.twitter.com/895tCBE9RK
— Giannis Antetokounmpo (@Giannis_An34) December 15, 2020
The deal included an opt-out after the fourth year, which was always going to be the case to provide him with maximum flexibility to maximize his earning potential.
As @Giannis_An34 tweeted, he is signing his extension with the Bucks. His agent, Alex Saratsis, tells ESPN it will be for the full five-year, $228M super max, including an opt-out after the fourth year.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) December 15, 2020
Antetokounmpo joins a fairly short list of players to qualify for and sign a supermax extension, with Stephen Curry, James Harden, Damian Lillard, Russell Westbrook, and John Wall being the other five who have done so. It’s a huge win for a Bucks organization that has tried to build a contender around Giannis and showed their willingness to spend now at the risk of future assets with the Holiday trade. Now, the question facing Milwaukee is if the roster they’ve assembled can get out of the East, where they’ll once again be the favorites ahead of the likes of Miami, Philadelphia, and Boston.
A lot of that responsibility to taking the Bucks to a Finals rests on the shoulders of Antetokounmpo, who isn’t without fault for Milwaukee’s shortcomings the past two seasons in the playoffs, but it’s admirable that he wants to take that on and be the one to get the Bucks organization to that level.
