5 or 6 NBA Teams ‘Banking on’ Giannis Antetokounmpo’s ‘We’ll See’ Comment

Giannis Antetokounmpo is playing mind games with the NBA community by refusing to confirm whether or not he will seek a trade from the Milwaukee Bucks this summer.

His latest comments during a social media livestream were encouraging for interested teams.

“Probably. Probably, we’ll see. Probably, I love Milwaukee,” Antetokounmpo replied when asked if he was staying with the Bucks.

Giannis Antetokounmpo Remains Open-Minded About Leaving Milwaukee

Appearing on Thursday’s episode of Get Up, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reported that there are at least five or six teams “banking on” Antetokounmpo’s recent “we’ll see” comment about the Bucks.

“The thing about it is, is he didn’t give a definitive answer. And I’m certainly not going to analyze something he said seaside in Greece but what I will say is the ‘we’ll see,’ that is essentially what there’s about five or six NBA teams banking on, the ‘we’ll see.’ And I know it sounds trivial but for years Giannis was completely locked in,” he said.

“Him saying ‘we’ll see’ backs up what Shams has been saying this entire summer, which is that he might be more open-minded than he was in the past. And I would say the same thing, ‘Probably Milwaukee, but we’ll see.’ And now I can quote Giannis on that, thank you very much.”

Antetokounmpo has been linked to several marquee franchises, ranging from the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors to the New York Knicks and Miami Heat.

Giannis Unhappy With Bucks For Waiving Damian Lillard

ESPN’s Shams Charania reported on May 12 that Antetokounmpo was “open-minded” about exploring his options outside of Milwaukee. The nine-time All-Star has spent his entire 12-year NBA career with the Bucks.

Milwaukee, however, may have already drove Antetokounmpo away when it waived-and-stretched veteran guard Damian Lillard last Tuesday in an effort to free up cap space to sign center Myles Turner.

Turner agreed to a four-year, $107 million deal to replace Brook Lopez, who signed with the Los Angeles Clippers. Lillard will count $22.5 million against the cap over the next five seasons for the Bucks.

Antetokounmpo was reportedly unhappy with the Bucks’ surprising decision to dump Lillard, and it remains unclear if he knew they were dropping him from the roster in order to add Turner.

Antetokounmpo Could Request Trade Later This NBA Offseason

Last week, ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne reported on NBA Today that Antetokounmpo might not decide whether to request a trade until as late as September.

“My sense is, just from conversations around the league, I don’t think anything will be decided on his end until August, September,” Shelburne said. “Whether he goes or stays, that kind of decision doesn’t come until late in the summer.”

Antetokounmpo, who turns 31 in December, “is closely observing” Milwaukee’s offseason moves to determine if the Bucks will be able to field a championship-caliber roster.

Charania noted that Milwaukee re-signing Bobby Portis was a “big step” and that Portis “is one player that [Antetokounmpo] definitely wanted to see back with him.”