“Let this motherf–er go, it’s all f–ked up in Milwaukee” – Vernon Maxwell wants Giannis Antetokounmpo to part ways with the Milwaukee Bucks originally appeared on Basketball Network.
Whenever there’s ever a hint of Giannis Antetokounmpo wanting out of Milwaukee, the Bucks’ front office usually snaps into action to retool the roster and keep him happy.
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But after an explosive 2025 offseason, it now seems like the franchise has made the difficult decision to part ways with its veterans and begin a slow rebuild toward becoming a championship contender again in the future. And with so much uncertainty and changes swirling around the team, Vernon Maxwell believes it’s about time for the two-time MVP, who is still in his prime, to walk away from the Bucks, as the organization is in no position to be competitive just now.
Maxwell thinks Giannis should be out of Milwaukee
After Damian Lillard suffered a devastating Achilles injury, the franchise clearly felt like they could not bank on him to recover and be patient, along with paying a hefty salary. Thus, they decided to waive him and replace him with Myles Turner. On top of that, Brook Lopez is on his way out to the Los Angeles Clippers. Despite making these changes, the Bucks now face a massive dead cap hit of $22.6 million annually until 2030.
That financial burden could severely limit their flexibility in free agency moving forward, making it even harder to build a deep, high-quality supporting cast around Giannis.
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Speaking on the “All The Smoke” podcast, Maxwell acknowledged how Giannis has always kept winning as his utmost priority and admitted that with the manner in which the Bucks are operating, they aren’t going to be among the title contenders for the foreseeable future. Meanwhile, teams in the East, like the New York Knicks, Cleveland Cavaliers and Orlando Magic, are building impressive rosters with solid structure and smart additions.
As a result, Mad Max advised Giannis to pack his bags and leave for the next chapter in his NBA career while opting to select a team that is just a step or two away from becoming legitimate title contenders, especially at a time when the supremacy in the Conference is up for grabs.
“Yeah, it’s a rebuild. They got to cut the cord with Giannis and let this motherf-–er go ’cause he don’t wanna be there. You know what I mean? Yeah, they in a rebuilding situation. That s–t, it’s all f—ked up in Milwaukee now, especially when your main man don’t wanna play with you no more and he done give you everything he could give you,” Maxwell said. “I mean that man could’ve left, but he stayed there. I wouldn’t even go there and play.”
Giannis could part ways with the Bucks before the start of the 2025-26 season
Right now, the Bucks don’t even look like a guaranteed top-six team in the East, let alone a contender. Even if they push for mediocrity, that would likely mean Giannis having to average close to 30 points and a double-double just to keep the team afloat. That puts immense pressure on him night after night.
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At this point in his career, the smartest move might be to apply his prime years to a team that already has a quality supporting cast, such as the Miami Heat.
So, with veterans like Vernon openly supporting the idea of Giannis moving on after dedicating over a decade to Milwaukee, the question is — will that be enough to push the 2021 Finals MVP to finally take the leap and embrace a new chapter? Only time will tell.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jul 9, 2025, where it first appeared.