This is the online version of our daily newsletter, The Morning Win. Subscribe to get irreverent and incisive sports stories, delivered to your mailbox every morning. Here’s Mike Sykes.
Bucks fans, listen. As a Wizards fan, I cannot begin to know your pain. My team has been feckless and incompetent for my entire life. I don’t really know success from an organizational standpoint in the NBA.
But y’all? Y’all do. Not only has your team won a championship in the last 5 years, but you also have one of the top-3-or-so players in the world on your team. Giannis Antetokounmpo is like that.
It looks like there’s a solid chance all of that can come crumbling down soon, though.
In a sprawling interview with the New York Times, Antetokounmpo raised the stakes quite a bit for the Bucks in the 2023 season.
Milwaukee’s brightest star is eligible for a contract extension next offseason. After the 2024-25 season, he can opt out of his deal and become a free agent. So, of course, that means it’s time to start contract extension talks. Rumors spread fast around the NBA – especially with small market stars like Antetokounmpo.
This man didn’t take the time to give anyone any assurances. Simply put, Giannis hasn’t said he’s leaving Milwaukee, but he also hasn’t said he isn’t.
“You’ve got to see the dynamics…How the coach is going to be, how we’re going to be together. At the end of the day, I feel like all my teammates know, and the organization knows that I want to win a championship. As long as we’re on the same page with that, and you show me, and we go together to win a championship, I’m all for it.”
Simply put, he’s unsure. And that’s fine! He should have some concerns about this team. It’s coming off of one of the most devastating playoff losses we’ve seen in NBA history. To be upset by an 8-seed in the first round is jarring. It’s time to legitimately think about this team’s long-term picture and Antetokounmpo is just doing that. That’s fine and fair.
But that’s exactly why this time should be so terrifying for Bucks fans. We don’t really know what the trajectory of this team is.
The Bucks got Giannis to sign an extension in 2020 because the organization was able to improve on the fly. It used draft capital to scoop up Jrue Holiday and pair him with Antetokounmpo. Plus, the team had a younger, spry version of Khris Middleton that we simply haven’t seen in years.
Now? They’re older. They have very little draft capital to use because of that Holiday trade. It’s hard to find ways to actually make this team better without improving from within.
Maybe Middleton can return to form defensively. Maybe Brook Lopez continues to be a perineal Defensive Player of the Year candidate. Maybe Jrue Holiday will find a way to improve again. I’m not sure.
But the clock is ticking. The NBA is on Giannis watch — again. It’s not time to hit the panic button, Bucks fans. But it is time to be concerned. Hopefully, your team’s next move is its best move.
Quick Hits: Shoutout to Ryan Clark … A fatal flaw on your favorite NFL team … and more
— When you’re talking on TV all the time, you’re bound to make mistakes. Ryan Clark made one when he made a joke about Tua Tagovailoa’s work ethic live on air. He apologized for it and, honestly, you’ve got to respect that. Cory Woodroof has more.
— Christian D’Andrea has one fatal flaw for each NFL team that will stop them from winning the Super Bowl. Except for the Eagles. The Eagles are perfect.
— We’ve got six bold predictions for the College Football Playoff this season, including Pac-12 dominance?!?!?
— Shoutout to Kevin Hart for making fun of himself. This is a treat. Cory has more.
That’s all, folks. Enjoy your day and Happy College-Football-is-Back Weekend.
