Bill Simmons points to Kevin Garnett’s regret over Giannis Antetokounmpo
somehow Giannis Antetokounmpo returned… to Milwaukee Bucks. Over the past two months, the Milwaukee Bucks star seemed to be edging closer and closer to his departure. Rumors of his displeasure arose, and the Bucks were reportedly already shopping their star. however, Instead, Milwaukee decided to wait until the offseason to deal the star.
At least one analyst thinks Antetokounmpo should have forced his way out of the Bucks. Bill Simmons shelp that the Greek star might end up regretting his decision not to require trade. Simmons cited Kevin Garnett’s early 2000s script as the reason Giannis should have requested a trade.
“They had to trade him, and yet they didn’t have to trade him because it made more sense for them to wait until this summer when more teams can be in it,” Simmons said on his podcast. “But it didn’t make any more sense for him to wait. I just don’t get it. If I were him, I’d talk to a bunch of older retired stars who were in pretty similar situations like this. Including KG, I’d call KG. Say, ‘Hey KG, if you had to do it again, would you really wait to open the door until Flight 207? Did you do it a year or two earlier?’ Guess what KG would say? I would have done it as soon as I knew I didn’t have a future with that team.”
Now, the analogy is not picture perfect. Part of Garnett’s frustration with the Timberwolves before he requested a trade stemmed from their failure to make the playoffs. While the Bucks have been terrible over the last few years, they also have a championship in 2021. That championship was probably the reason why didn’t Antetokounmpo request a trade right away: he’s not chasing his first ring as desperately as Garnett.
Still, Antetokounmpo has long said he’ll stay with the Bucks as long as they’re competitive. This season, the Bucks are far from that. They are 20-29 and will more than likely miss the playoffs. At their best, they make it to the Play-In tournament, but there they either lose or get crushed in the first round. It is not a competitive team by any means.
2026-02-06 16:21:00
