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Milwaukee Bucks power forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, center, reacts from the sideline during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Philadelphia 76ers, Sunday, April 12, 2026, in Philadelphia.<\/p>\n
Chris Szagola\/AP<\/p>\n
Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, left and Kyle Kuzma react after teammate AJ Green made a three-pointer against the Brooklyn Nets during an NBA basketball game, Friday, April 10, 2026, in Milwaukee.<\/p>\n
Jeffrey Phelps\/AP<\/p>\n
Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, right, congratulates Milwaukee Bucks guard AJ Green (20) after an NBA basketball game against the Brooklyn Nets, Friday, April 10, 2026, in Milwaukee.<\/p>\n
Jeffrey Phelps\/AP<\/p>\n
Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, center, walks off the court after an NBA basketball game against the Brooklyn Nets, Friday, April 10, 2026, in Milwaukee.<\/p>\n
Jeffrey Phelps\/AP<\/p>\n
Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo walks to the locker room after an NBA basketball game against the Brooklyn Nets, Friday, April 10, 2026, in Milwaukee.<\/p>\n
Jeffrey Phelps\/AP<\/p>\n
MILWAUKEE (AP) \u2014 The postseason is starting without the Milwaukee Bucks for the first time in a decade.<\/p>\n
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How soon Milwaukee gets back to the playoffs could depend on an offseason that\u2019s shaping up to be among the most critical in franchise history due to Giannis Antetokounmpo\u2019s uncertain future.<\/p>\n
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Has the two-time MVP played his last game in a Bucks uniform?<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know,\u201d Antetokounmpo said Sunday after a 126-106 loss at Philadelphia that capped the Bucks\u2019 32-50 season. \u201cIt\u2019s not up to me. We\u2019ll see.\u201d<\/p>\n
Antetokounmpo, 31, has spent his entire 13-year career in Milwaukee, which selected the 6-foot-11 forward with the 15th pick in the 2013 draft. Antetokounmpo led the Bucks to their first title in half a century in 2021, and he owns franchise career records in virtually every major statistical category.<\/p>\n
He\u2019s eligible to become a free agent after next season if he doesn\u2019t sign a four-year, $275 million contract extension in October. Or the Bucks could trade him beforehand if they don\u2019t believe he will sign that extension. That uncertainty helps explain why Antetokounmpo was the center of attention at this season’s trade deadline though the Bucks ultimately kept him.<\/p>\n
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Antetokounmpo was asked Sunday whether he\u2019d sign an extension.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s something I have to sit down with my family and see what\u2019s best for me, what\u2019s best for my family,\u201d he replied.<\/p>\n
Doc Rivers, who announced Monday that he’s stepping down as the Bucks’ coach, said he just wants a positive resolution for both parties.<\/p>\n
\u201cGiannis and this franchise won a title together, and to me, that should never be lost, no matter how this ends up,\u201d Rivers said. \u201cAs I said, Giannis is a fantastic person. I\u2019ve been lucky to coach a lot of stars, and he\u2019s right at the top as far as just good people. I want good people to be taken care of.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Late-season dispute hinders relationship<\/p>\n
This crossroads arrives at a time when the relationship between Antetokounmpo and the front office is at its most fragile.<\/p>\n
Antetokounmpo\u2019s final game of the season came March 15 when an awkward fall on a dunk caused him to leave a victory over the Indiana Pacers. He averaged 27.6 points, 9.8 rebounds and 5.4 assists in a career-low 36 games.<\/p>\n
He wanted to play the last couple of weeks and believed he was healthy enough to do so. Team officials continued to hold him out while saying he had a left knee hyperextension and bone bruise. The NBA is investigating the situation.<\/p>\n
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If the Bucks do lose Antetokounmpo, they could face a long rebuild because of their lack of draft assets.<\/p>\n
The Bucks will have a lottery pick this year either in their own spot or in New Orleans\u2019 spot \u2014 they\u2019ll pick in the less favorable of those two positions. But they don\u2019t have first-round selections in 2027 or 2029. They\u2019ve agreed to pick swaps that could negatively impact their draft position in 2028 and 2030.<\/p>\n
Since winning their 2021 title, the Bucks have made just two first-round picks: MarJon Beauchamp in 2022 and AJ Johnson in 2024. Neither remains with the team.<\/p>\n
Antetokounmpo has said repeatedly he likes playing in Milwaukee but wants to be part of a franchise committed to competing for championships. The Bucks haven\u2019t won a playoff series since 2022 and just produced their first losing season since 2015-16.<\/p>\n
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\u201cWe\u2019re the furthest away we\u2019ve been,\u201d Antetokounmpo said. \u201cI didn\u2019t think we were going to be in this position last year, so I don\u2019t know what position we will be in next year.\u201d<\/p>\n
Misfortune leads to Bucks’ slide<\/p>\n
Bad luck has played a role in Milwaukee\u2019s downturn.<\/p>\n
Khris Middleton had a knee injury that prevented the three-time All-Star from playing in Milwaukee\u2019s 2022 Eastern Conference semifinal loss to Boston. The Bucks had the NBA\u2019s best record in 2022-23, but a back bruise caused Antetokounmpo to miss 2 \u00bd playoff games as Miami stunned Milwaukee in the first round.<\/p>\n
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Antetokounmpo missed the entire 2024 first-round playoff loss to Indiana with a calf strain. Damian Lillard tore his Achilles tendon in Game 4 of another first-round defeat against Indiana last year.<\/p>\n
Milwaukee\u2019s injuries this season weren\u2019t limited to Antetokounmpo. Kevin Porter Jr., the Bucks\u2019 second-leading scorer, played in only 36 games.<\/p>\n
The Bucks often weren’t even competitive this season as they missed the playoffs for the first time since 2016.<\/p>\n
Milwaukee dropped 20 games by at least 20 points. According to Sportradar, they never before had more than 14 losses of at least 20 points in a single season.<\/p>\n
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The Bucks had 14 losses of at least 25 points \u2014 twice the previous franchise single-season high. They had eight defeats of at least 30 points, which also doubled the previous franchise record.<\/p>\n
\u201cObviously when you have injuries to two of your top ball handlers like Giannis and KPJ, it kind of hurt us a lot,\u201d forward Bobby Portis said. \u201cAnd then all the outside noise as well kind of just took away from the team. Years before, things that were said or things we had internally that were about the team didn\u2019t really get out to the media. There were a lot more dark clouds than in previous years.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bucks general manager Jon Horst has taken big swings plenty of times before that helped convince Antetokounmpo to stay.<\/p>\n
Antetokounmpo signed an extension in 2021 after Horst added Jrue Holiday. Antetokounmpo signed another extension after the 2023 acquisition of Lillard.<\/p>\n
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After Lillard tore his Achilles, the Bucks took another gamble by waiving him and stretching out the remaining $113 million on his contract over the next five years. That gave them enough short-term cap flexibility to sign former Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner.<\/p>\n
Horst now faces his biggest challenge yet as he tries to put together a roster strong enough to have Antetokounmpo believing he can contend for a title without changing teams.<\/p>\n
\u201cMoney doesn\u2019t mean nothing to me,\u201d Antetokounmpo said. \u201cZero. Absolutely zero. What means something to me, it\u2019s winning.\u201d<\/p>\n
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AP Sports Writer Dan Gelston in Philadelphia contributed to this report.<\/p>\n