The NBA season is just around the corner, and all 30 teams have been competing against each other during the preseason. As the regular season approaches, teams are gearing up for another 82-game schedule with their sights set on a championship.
Realistically, not every team will contend for the NBA Finals, as only a few teams in each conference have a legitimate chance of making a deep playoff run.
In the Eastern Conference, the Milwaukee Bucks are one of those contenders. They boast one of the league’s top five players, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and have paired him with Damian Lillard and Khris Middleton.
The Bucks have already won an NBA championship with Antetokounmpo leading the way. The former 15th overall draft pick has evolved from a relatively unknown forward to one of the best players in the league, earning accolades like MVP, NBA champion, and Finals MVP. Antetokounmpo knows the expectations that come with being a title contender.
He even acknowledged the possibility of being traded if the Bucks don’t secure another title with their current lineup.
“If we don’t win a championship, I might get traded,” Antetokounmpo told The Athletic. “That’s the reality of this job. It applies to everyone. If you don’t succeed, that could be the end for us. …If you don’t perform well enough, you’re out.”
While this scenario might be true for Lillard or Middleton, it’s unlikely for Antetokounmpo. Similar to Stephen Curry with the Golden State Warriors, franchise players who have significantly contributed to their teams’ success are rarely traded, even if the team struggles to win in the short term.
Antetokounmpo remains one of the top talents in the NBA, and unless he requests a trade himself, it’s improbable that the Bucks would move him.
