The Magic are among the teams with interest in Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, should he become available, NBA analyst Kirk Goldsberry said on The Bill Simmons Podcast.
“I actually heard there’s a mystery team,” Goldsberry said of a potential Giannis pursuit this summer, via HoopsHype. “I called around as part of this exercise to see who were potentially desperate places for Giannis to land. And somebody who knows stuff told me that Orlando has actually been very active in seeking out Giannis Antetokounmpo’s services.”
In other words, welcome to the club, Magic.
“Now, desperation sort of sets in in the NBA when?” Goldsberry asked. “After the first round of the playoffs. So there’s 16 teams, they think they’re in it, two weeks later, there’s eight teams that are out. That’s where I think the Houstons, the Orlandos are gonna merge. The Knicks, Cleveland, that’s the group I’m looking at.”
It’s hard to know what the Bucks would seek for Antetokounmpo, or what anyone would offer. This truly is the early speculation stage. But it’s also the fairly real stage, as the divide between the Bucks and Giannis only seems to be growing.
Sam Amick of The Athletic reported that Antetokounmpo and the Bucks very much appear headed for a “divorce” this offseason — pointing to Milwaukee’s handling of Antetokounmpo’s knee injury as a telling development. The belief is Giannis feels ready to play. The team has kept him sidelined.
That gap says plenty about where things stand, and yes, where they could be headed next.
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