Giannis Antetokounmpo is staying in Milwaukee but the real work for the Bucks begins now

Giannis is staying.

And just like that, the biggest domino has fallen. Everyone’s offseason plans over the next two years have shifted all of a sudden.

Giannis Antetokounmpo is off of the market for next season and then some. The Bucks forward signed a five year, $228 million deal with his team on Tuesday, officially ending all of the rumblings around the league about his potential departure.

It’s a full five-year deal with an opt-out included in the 5th season of the contract. It’s also the richest contract in NBA history. He’s on track to be the first player ever to make $50 million in a single season.

Antetokounmpo announced he was staying via Twitter.

The numbers behind this deal are huge. But it’s Giannis — of course, he’s worth every single penny involved.

There are a lot of reactions to this deal coming from all directions. It’s all a lot to process.

But here’s the big thing to remember: Yes, this is a big win for the Bucks. It’s also a huge win for Antetokounmpo himself. And, yes, this should absolutely be celebrated by small markets around the league — the supermax worked.

But as one clock stops, another one starts. And it’s ticking for Milwaukee.

The real work for the Bucks begins now

The Bucks success was clearly great enough to convince Giannis Antetokounmpo to stay. That’s fantastic. But now comes the part where they have to convince him that he made the right decision to stay.

Antetokounmpo signed a five-year deal, but that doesn’t mean he’ll actually stay there for five years. Let’s say that the Bucks have a couple seasons in 2021 and 2022 where they fall short of winning a title or even reaching the NBA Finals. There’s absolutely nothing in the way of Antetokounmpo coming to the organization and asking to be traded.

Per the league’s collective bargaining agreement, a player who signs a designated player extension (AKA the supermax) cannot be traded until a full year has passed since the agreement was signed. Once that year passes? All bets are off. And if the Bucks don’t have some sort of championship success, these conversations will drum back up again.

Now, as a fan, these conversations stink. But such is the boom or bust nature of the NBA now. Players like Antetokounmpo are judged by playoff success and championships by pundits, fans and even their peers. The less success a player has, the louder these conversations get. It’s the nature of the beast.

And we’ve seen this play out over the years. Paul George was traded a year after he signed an extension to stay in Oklahoma City. James Harden signed a four year extension with the Rockets in the summer of 2017 and, three years later, wants out.

These things are common in the NBA now. It’s still on the table for Milwaukee.

With that being said, Giannis’ decision is a fine one

The reaction to Antetokounmpo’s decision will be parsed with questions about whether it was the right call or not. Whether the Bucks are a good enough organization to win a title with.

And the answer is, unequivocally, yes on all accounts.

This is the right decision because it’s his decision. It’s what he wanted to do and, at the end of the day, that’s really all that matters. As long as he and his family are happy, everything is fine.

This is also fine from a basketball perspective. Sure, the Bucks have come up short these last couple of seasons. But facts are facts, and the fact is that Antetokounmpo has won back-to-back MVP’s with this organization on teams that have, not only been good, but have been straight up dominant.

The Bucks were on pace to win 70 games this season before the league’s COVID-19 induced hiatus. The season before, they went 60-22 and had the best record in the league. They led the NBA in net rating during both of those seasons. With the addition of a fringe All-Star player and an All-Defense defender in Jrue Holiday, this team should only get better.

Staying with the Bucks was always a fine decision for Antetokounmpo. And it’s one that fans shouldn’t tear him down for making.

Time will tell how this thing plays out. But until we see the results, let’s just sit back and enjoy the ride.

[jwplayer mIalzt0N-q2aasYxh]