Milwaukee Bucks of America’s Nigerian-born star, Giannis Adetokunbo (Antetokounmpo) has met with the National Basketball Association (NBA) club’s top officials for crunch talks that were expected to iron out his future with the team where his contract is bound to come to an end, megasportsarena.com reports.
Although ‘The Greek Freak’ declared right after The Bucks lost out to Bam Adebayo’s Miami Heat in the NBA Eastern Conference semi-finals last weekend that he is committed to the team and that he remains loyal to them, speculation continues rising that he could head for a trade that would see him play with another franchise next season.
The Bucks’ management responded quickly to all speculations rolling round Antetokounmpo’s future and the Greece international, who was voted last season’s NBA most valuable player and this term’s best defensive performer, met with his club’s ownership Saturday on afternoon to.
A report by Yahoo Sports revealed that the talks were held to discuss Antetokounmpo’s future with the franchise, as Bucks’ co-owner, Marc Lasry discussed privately with the Nigerian-born star on the same day the 6-foot-11 star unfollowed hundreds of his fans and colleagues on the social media handles of Twitter and Instagram, including the team’s official account.
The report added: “Antetokounmpo, 25, has a year remaining on his contract, and he is eligible for a super-max extension this offseason that is expected to be worth around $254 million over five years.
“He could opt to play the final year of his deal before making a decision on his long-term future. The Bucks were eliminated last week in five games by the Miami Heat in the second round of the playoffs. After the game, Antetokounmpo told Yahoo Sports he wouldn’t be requesting a trade.
“The Bucks are committed to building and sustaining a championship roster around Antetokounmpo and are expected to be one of the busiest teams this offseason. Rival teams are closely monitoring the situation.”
Antetokounmpo had indeed declared last week: “Some see a wall and go in [another direction]. I plow through it. We just have to get better as a team, individually and get right back at it next season.”
