Bucks May Not Be in a Rush to Trade Giannis Before Deadline

Will the Milwaukee Bucks trade Giannis Antetokounmpo before next week’s NBA trade deadline? This is the question that everyone around the league is asking themselves. 

Now that it is clear that the Bucks will be trading Giannis, the question becomes, when will they do it? For the Bucks, this decision is key. Trading Giannis means turning the page to a new era for their franchise. The return they get back in a Giannis trade could end up defining the next 10 years of their team’s success. 

For Giannis, the timing of the trade is also important. If he gets traded before the deadline, he has the opportunity to sign a supermax extension with his new team. If the Bucks wait until this offseason to trade him, he can’t sign his extension until later, and at a lower pay. 

Shams Charania recently reported on the Bucks' urgency to trade their franchise superstar now. 

"The Bucks have, though, told interested teams that we're not in a rush, that we are fine taking this into the offseason and dealing with this then. The closer you get to the offseason... the more actual power that Giannis ends up having... any team that trades for him will want to know, 'Will you be here long-term, and will you sign here long-term or not."

What's so interesting about this Giannis trade is that when the Bucks decide to trade him, it totally affects who can make the best offer. 

If the Bucks wait until the offseason, more teams can enter the bidding war. The problem is, Giannis might not want to wait. For him to get the biggest and most secure contract he can, he needs to get traded this week.