{"id":729541,"date":"2026-05-09T05:54:18","date_gmt":"2026-05-09T05:54:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/729541\/"},"modified":"2026-05-09T05:54:18","modified_gmt":"2026-05-09T05:54:18","slug":"new-bucks-hc-breaks-silence-on-reestablishing-relationship-with-giannis-antetokounmpo-amid-wild-trade-rumors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/729541\/","title":{"rendered":"New Bucks HC Breaks Silence on \u201cReestablishing Relationship\u201d With Giannis Antetokounmpo Amid Wild Trade Rumors"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Milwaukee Bucks<\/a> have officially entered a new era with the hiring of Taylor Jenkins as the franchise\u2019s next head coach, following the decision to mutually part ways with Doc Rivers. But that might not be the only changing coming to the team structure as the organization pivots. The primary focus of this offseason has immediately shifted to the future of two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo<\/a>. Amid swirling speculation regarding whether the Bucks star was involved in the coaching search, Jenkins wasted no time to re-affirm that the connection between the bench boss and the franchise cornerstone is on solid ground.<\/p>\n

\u201cGiannis and I have a great relationship, great communication so far, he\u2019s been so welcoming to me,\u201d Jenkins stated shortly after his new job confirmation.<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

Jenkins, who served as an assistant to Mike Budenholzer in Milwaukee during the 2018-19 season before going to the Memphis Grizzlies<\/a> as a head coach, believes their shared history is a vital asset. \u201cA lot of our communication has just been about re-establishing that relationship. Obviously I was in Milwaukee for only a year, so now it\u2019s kind of building on that respect that we had for each other for the last seven years, and kind of just talking about this opportunity to come back to Milwaukee,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

This hire is seen by many as a strategic move to appease Antetokounmpo, who was limited to just 36 games this season due to injury. Despite the shortened campaign, he remained a force, averaging 27.6 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 5.4 assists while shooting a career-high 62.4 percent from the field. For what it\u2019s worth, Antetokounmpo has welcomed the move.<\/p>\n

He told the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, \u201cI think he\u2019s an incredible person,\u201d about Jenkins. \u201cObviously, he\u2019s an incredible coach. I was able to be with him in 2019 and we made the Eastern Conference finals.\u201d He commended Jenkins for turning the Grizzlies into real contenders and was positive about the culture he brings to the Bucks. \u201cI had the conversation. I don\u2019t think Milwaukee<\/a> is just getting just a good coach, I think they\u2019re getting a good person. And that\u2019s where it starts with. Having a good person around that\u2019s gonna be able to set the tone, that set the culture and what Milwaukee Bucks basketball is all about. He\u2019s a really good coach.\u201d<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

While Giannis is positive about the hiring, he insinuated it doesn\u2019t weigh on his looming decision because when he was asked about it, Antetokounmpo cryptically said, \u201cWe\u2019ll see.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

Jenkins\u2019 familiarity with Giannis is expected to be the bedrock of a revamped Bucks culture as they look to move past a disappointing regular season that saw them fall out of postseason contention for the first time in a decade. But they need more to silence the growing noise regarding a potential roster shakeup.<\/a><\/p>\n

Giannis Antetokounmpo\u2019s trade rumors take an \u2018overrated\u2019 turn<\/p>\n

Taylor Jenkins\u2019 comments on re-establishing internal chemistry have a far deeper connotation. All season, Giannis Antetokounmpo<\/a> has been outspoken about a locker room disconnect to go hand in hand with his trade rumors. While Jenkins\u2019 first order of business would be to fix the one problem Giannis saw, the external noise regarding an Antetokounmpo trade has reached a fever pitch.<\/p>\n

On the latest episode of Run It Back, NBA insider Sam Amick discussed potential landing spots and the specific names being floated in the Giannis sweepstakes. One name that continues to surface in a hypothetical blockbuster is Houston Rockets<\/a> center Alperen Sengun<\/a>. \u201cSengun is the one\u2026 I don\u2019t know if Milwaukee likes Sengun that much but that\u2019s the one people talk about. If you flipped Sengun for Giannis, you know do something like that, but we\u2019ll see,\u201d Amick noted.<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

The idea of moving a generational talent like Antetokounmpo for a rising star like Sengun has polarized the basketball world, especially following a recent poll byThe Athletic. According to Amick, Sengun was voted the \u201cmost overrated player\u201d in the league by his peers.<\/p>\n

Former NBA player Chandler Parsons<\/a> echoed this sentiment during the discussion, bluntly stating, \u201cThe most overrated player in the NBA is Sengun.\u201d The Athletic employee, Amick confirmed the poll results, adding, \u201cYeah that is a thing. That did happen.\u201d<\/p>\n

For the Bucks, these rumors present a complicated dilemma. While Sengun\u2019s playmaking and post-scoring are elite for his age, his \u201coverrated\u201d tag among fellow players suggests a gap between his perceived value and his actual impact. Sengun\u2019s now been eliminated from the first round of the playoffs twice and fans are questioning if a swap including him would be undervaluing Antetokounmpo.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Antetokounmpo\u2019s contract situation looms large in Milwaukee. This offseason won\u2019t just be about his decision to stay or leave. It\u2019s also about the new head coach\u2019s ability to solidify his bond with Giannis and the entire team. If Jenkins rebuilds the team culture, it will likely determine whether the superstar remains the face of Milwaukee or if the front office begins seriously entertaining the wild trade packages currently doing the rounds.<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

The post New Bucks HC Breaks Silence on \u201cReestablishing Relationship\u201d With Giannis Antetokounmpo Amid Wild Trade Rumors<\/a> appeared first on EssentiallySports<\/a>. Add EssentiallySports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.<\/a><\/p>\n

Trending Articles<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Milwaukee Bucks have officially entered a new era with the hiring of Taylor Jenkins as the franchise\u2019s…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":729542,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[3775],"tags":[1307,7,103,2943,123,2559,194,177,102,121,3871,6,4194,361],"class_list":{"0":"post-729541","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-milwaukee-bucks","8":"tag-alperen-sengun","9":"tag-basketball","10":"tag-bucks","11":"tag-chandler-parsons","12":"tag-giannis-antetokounmpo","13":"tag-head-coach","14":"tag-houston-rockets","15":"tag-memphis-grizzlies","16":"tag-milwaukee","17":"tag-milwaukee-bucks","18":"tag-milwaukeebucks","19":"tag-nba","20":"tag-taylor-jenkins","21":"tag-the-bucks"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/116543072773824113","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/729541","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=729541"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/729541\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/729542"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=729541"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=729541"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=729541"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}