Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo knows the stakes couldn’t be much higher for he and his teammates with the Feb. 5 NBA trade deadline a little over a month away.
The Bucks got back in the win column with a 112-103 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Saturday, though they’re still 11th in the Eastern Conference at 13-19.
“This is real tough,” Antetokounmpo told reporters after the game. “I’ve been 13 years in the league. If we keep on losing, probably half of the team not going to be here. We’re not going to make the playoffs. I really don’t care. At the end of the day, I just want to be available, be healthy and help my team win. And if [a windmill dunk] is what has to happen for everybody to wake up and understand, we’re fighting for our lives and we got to get our hands dirty, so be it.”
The two-time MVP returned to the floor after missing eight games with a calf strain. He had 29 points, eight rebounds, one assist, one steal and one block in 25 minutes of action.
Antetokounmpo drew the ire of some Bulls players with his thunderous windmill jam in the waning seconds. There was a brief confrontation between the two teams after the final buzzer.
“We’re 11th in the East,” Giannis said. “Got to keep finding an identity. And if that’s to get a little bit of scrappy at the end, so be it. We’re not champs. Why should we play the clock out and have respect and fair play? We’re fighting for our lives right now.”
Milwaukee’s record speaks for itself.
Three straight first-round playoff exits led many to wonder whether the Bucks have hit their ceiling, and now they’re struggling just to get into a postseason position. Amid a brutal start, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported on Dec. 3 that Antetokounmpo and his agent were “discussing whether his best fit is staying or a move elsewhere.”
A trade before the February deadline wasn’t off the table.
Even if Giannis finishes out the year in Milwaukee, his supporting cast could look a lot different. Eric Nehm of The Athletic reported Saturday that “the Bucks have conveyed a desire to add talent to their roster” with rival teams circling around their best player.
Should the team surge over the next few weeks, general manager Jon Horst may decide only marginal moves are required. If the Bucks’ inconsistency continues, however, he’ll have little choice but to reshuffle the squad as much as he can.