Ten-time NBA All-Star Carmelo Anthony and current Philadelphia 76ers star Paul George think Giannis Antetokounmpo isn’t going anywhere despite the rumors that he might leave the Milwaukee Bucks this summer.
George said that, like the other Europeans in the league, Giannis has that loyalty that makes him attached to his first NBA home. PG also noted that “The Greek Freak” is a throwback guy who is cut from the old-school era, when players ended their careers where they started them.
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Anthony agreed but also pointed out that the two-time MVP actually has what he needs — and what he wants — to win in Milwaukee and that he does not understand why people are saying that “The Greek Freak” needs to leave if he wants to win.
“They have the pieces bro, everything you wanted. All right, granted Jrue Holiday was a major piece, alright, cool. You still actually have Dame Lillard back. That’s a piece. You have to make that work. That’s a big and a guard. That ain’t no two wings,” said Anthony during the recent episode of George’s “Podcast P.”
The Bucks have what they need to win
According to Anthony, Milwaukee wanted to pair Lillard with Antetokounmpo, so it wasn’t that they lost Jrue Holiday for nothing. They just replaced him with a bigger star who could provide Giannis with more firepower. And Dame has done exactly that until the very end of the regular season and the beginning of the playoffs.
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He also noted that it was the Bucks’ call to move on from an aging Khris Middleton, and in return, they landed a solid piece in Kyle Kuzma. Melo praised Kuzma, calling him a “really, really good” wing in today’s league.
At the same time, Melo acknowledged the unfortunate nature of Damian’s Achilles injury. Still, he stressed that it’s not the end of his career. If Dame can bounce back, Milwaukee will still have two top-tier stars — and that, the soon-to-be Hall of Famer believes, is more than enough to contend.
“You don’t need three stars,” added Carmelo. “You got two already. This is how it was put together. This is the part that I don’t like, everybody keeps making excuses about this when they have teams. You have Lopez, he’s a great center.”
Build around Giannis
This isn’t the first time the retired forward has discussed Giannis’s situation. Speaking via his “7PM in Brooklyn” podcast last month, the incoming 2025 Hall of Famer advised the Bucks to build around “The Greek Freak” instead of trading him because he is a generational talent that comes once in a lifetime and letting go would mess everything up. Anthony just doubled down on that point this time around.
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“Giannis built Milwaukee, this new Milwaukee 2.0? Giannis built that. He won with that. He built that from the ground up – new arena, new environment. Everything Milwaukee has, shot up because of that. If they get rid of Giannis, Milwaukee is taking 15 years step back,” the New York Knicks icon said.
Anthony has a point. Sure, the Bucks have struggled in the last couple of years. But when you look at their roster, it’s not that Giannis doesn’t help. The issue lies in the team’s inability to make it all click.
With Brook Lopez hitting free agency this summer, Milwaukee could face more changes relatively soon. Still, as Anthony emphasized, the priority should be building around the former Finals MVP, not moving on from him.