Giannis Antetokounmpo Sounds Like He Understands Why Kevin Durant Left OKC

Giannis Antetokounmpo signed a 4-year $100 million extension before last season that will keep him in Milwaukee through the 2020-2021 season. Antetokounmpo gave the Milwaukee Bucks a discount when he signed that deal, a point often brought up by Bucks fans when you point out that other teams are already planning for the Greek Freak’s future free agency.

The thinking goes that no player could possibly agree to let his team have some financial flexibility and then decide to leave four years in the future. And maybe that’s true. If the Bucks do everything right between now and then. Here’s Giannis answering a fan question about Kevin Durant during a recent event in Manila.

So sometimes a player wants to stay with a team, but the team doesn’t do the right things. That’s when something happens like Kevin Durant leaving OKC. This isn’t so much a warning by Giannis as it is an admission of understanding. Right now he wants to be in Milwaukee forever, but things change.

Even if he’s not thinking it now, building a contender isn’t even a guaranteed way to keep Antetokounmpo. The Thunder went to four Western Conference Finals in 6 seasons. They played in the Finals and had a 3-1 lead on Golden State in 2016. Something like that would be a hell of a run for the Milwaukee Bucks, but if they can’t win a title, who knows what will happen in 2021. That’s why other teams are planning.