In what should be a surprise to absolutely nobody, the Mikal Bridges decision by the New York Knicks on Thursday should’ve been an indication of what the Milwaukee Bucks plan to do with Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Antetokounmpo has never asked out of Milwaukee, and it remains uncertain why he’s in the middle of trade conversations every offseason.
Still, this decision seemingly ended things for the Knicks.
According to NBA Insider Jake Weinbach, with Bridges signing a four-year, $150 million extension with the Knicks, he believes that teams around the league finally understand that Antetokounmpo isn’t available.
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“There were rumors circulating around the league that the Knicks were stalling extension talks for Mikal Bridges in case Giannis Antetokounmpo became available this offseason.
“Now with Bridges signing a four-year, $150M extension in New York, it’s safe to say that rival teams have accepted the notion that Giannis isn’t leaving Milwaukee anytime soon,” he wrote.
Perhaps this is what teams had to see to understand that Antetokounmpo won’t be available anytime soon.
Milwaukee is entering next season with the expectations of being one of the better teams in a below-average Eastern Conference, despite some question marks from others about their roster.
The Bucks are in a strange position where they could win a championship if everything goes as planned, but also perhaps be a first-round exit if things don’t.
On paper, the Knicks might be the better all-around team, but Milwaukee has Antetokounmpo, somebody the Knicks would love to have.
Unfortunately for Knicks fans, that doesn’t look like it’ll ever be the case at this point.
