Giannis Calf Injury Is Fatal Blow To Bucks Future As Trade Rumors Grow

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With the injury to Giannis Antetokounmpo, trade rumors and questions about his future with the Milwaukee Bucks have reached an all-time high.

For the second time this year, on the same day that trade rumors regarding his uncertain future with the Milwaukee Bucks began to circulate, Giannis Antetokounmpo suffered a calf strain, now set to miss another four to six weeks with the injury.

The two-time regular season MVP suffered the same injury on December 3rd, which was the same day NBA insider Shams Charania reported he and the Bucks began discussions on his future would be better somewhere else.

He did eventually return and continued to put up All-NBA caliber numbers. But on Friday, he suffered the same injury, on the same day Charania reported again that his frustration and tension with the team is at an ‘all-time high.’

ESPN insider Brian Windhorst added that teams around the league were waiting for that first domino of Antetokounmpo and the Bucks to drop before making any big trades, but now, that all might be thrown out the window.

Giannis Antetokounmpo: “After the MRI, they’ll probably tell me I popped something in my calf and probably give me a protocol of 4-6 weeks I’ll be out. After that, I’m going to work my butt off to come back probably end of February, beginning of March. Hopefully, the team can at

Let alone his status for the All-Star game, as he’s set to miss that, but his future in Milwaukee is in serious question, as he’s now set to be out past the February 5th NBA trade deadline. 

Until he or a decision-maker from the Bucks addresses his future directly, there is a real chance the 2021 Finals MVP has played his last game in a Milwaukee jersey. 

Giannis Injury Impacting Trade Rumors 

There are two very different sides to the coin of what the next few weeks could hold for Antetokounmpo and his future with the Bucks. One is that, with the injury, the team’s fate is sealed; they have no chance at competing for a title (as was already relatively obvious), and with him now sidelined, the team could trade him to start a full rebuild.

The other is that the injury will drop his trade value, and the team could keep him for the rest of the season, as, even if he were traded, he wouldn’t be playing for at least the next month, meaning the Bucks could have more time to assess the trade offers and packages of what they can get for the star in the summer.

There is also the option that Antetokounmpo slowly returns from the calf strain, gets back on the court with about a month left in the regular season, and everything returns to normal, with him staying in Milwaukee through the summer and into next season.

However, with the latest reports from Charania, Windhorst, and other insiders, that seems to be the least likely option, as with his looming extension and growing concerns about his future with the team, if he were to be moved, it would happen over the summer at the latest so the Bucks don’t lose him for nothing in free agency in 2027. 

The first is the more intriguing option, and one that could very well be the most likely outcome due to the fact that Milwaukee doesn’t look to have any real playoff hopes this season or next with their current roster. 

Teams like the Los Angeles Lakers, Golden State Warriors, New York Knicks, Miami Heat, San Antonio Spurs, and a few others have all been linked to Antetokounmpo during this current trade cycle.

Rumors hint that the Lakers and Warriors will make a big push for the star, and if they are serious about adding him, it might be best for the Bucks to finally listen to trade offers to get the most out of a return, rather than continuing to wait until he finally asks for a trade, if that ever happens at all.

Giannis’ Bucks Future In Greater Question Than Ever Before

The previous reporting from Charania and other insiders over the past few days hinted that Antetokounmpo’s time in Milwaukee was already coming to an end, and it could very well be the case that his injury could speed up that entire process.

Both he and the franchise have been in a stalemate on who would budge first, either the star asking to be traded, which previously seemed extremely unlikely, or the front office finally realizing that it would be best for them to send him elsewhere, both to help his career and enter a new era of the franchise on their own. 

Milwaukee had previously stayed firm that they were trying to be buyers at the trade deadline and add talent around their star to keep him happy. But now, with him set to miss at least another month, that seems unlikely. They were already struggling with Antetokounmpo healthy, so the idea of them being any better with him out can almost certainly be thrown out the window.

Regardless of whether he directly asks to be traded or not, the Bucks should look at the writing on the wall. They had a good run. He brought them their first title in 50 years. But as seen over the past few seasons, without a massive roster overhaul, this current iteration of the team never had true title hopes, despite how far Antetokounmpo could single-handedly keep them afloat. 

If they are finally ready to begin a new era, the Bucks should finally start listening to trade offers for their franchise star. He doesn’t seem happy in Milwaukee with their struggles this season, and while neither side seems to want to admit it, like so many other players and teams, the relationship between the two seems to be coming to an end. 

If there was any right time to trade Antetokounmpo, that would be now, with him expected to be sidelined for four to six weeks, but his trade value is still extremely high. Whenever or if ever it does come, it will be a sad day in Milwaukee, but one that feels inevitable based on all the reports over the past few months. 

Eli Gregorski is a sports journalist covering the NBA for Heavy Sports. He has years of sports writing experience covering the NBA, NFL, college football and basketball, international soccer, and Formula One. He graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder, where he was the assistant sports editor for the award-winning CU Independent student publication. More about Eli Gregorski

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