Giannis Antetokounmpo, who has won two MVP awards, announced on Twitter that he and the Milwaukee Bucks have agreed to extend his deal. The deal is for three years and $186 million, and the player can open it for the 2027–28 season. That option lets Antetokounmpo become a free agent in 2027 when Damian Lillard’s new deal ends. This means that the two of them will likely play together in Milwaukee for the next four seasons.
Antetokounmpo was available for a contract extension in September. Still, he said earlier this offseason that he didn’t want to sign one because it would mean giving up the extra money he could have earned by waiting a year. During that tour with the media, he clarified that his goal was to win titles, no matter where they happened.
Using that strategy has helped Antetokounmpo in the past. Two times now, he has used the fact that his deal is short to get the Bucks to make aggressive moves to win. The Bucks traded for Jrue Holiday in 2020, one year before he was set to depart for free agency. Antetokounmpo liked the move so much that he signed his contract again, and the Bucks won the 2021 title. In this case, the move was for Lillard, and Milwaukee hopes the same thing will happen.
Antetokounmpo can sign with any team he wants with this new deal when he turns 32. Considering how old his friends are, that’s pretty cool. Kyra Middleton is 32 years old now. Lynch is 33 years old, and Lopez is 35. Since this group is still pretty young, Antetokounmpo has promised to keep trying to win with them. However, the Bucks must find a way to add young talent over the next few years if they want Antetokounmpo to retire in the Cream City.
But for now, this is a massive win for the Bucks team. This summer, their main goal was to get Antetokounmpo to sign a new deal to keep him with the team after his current one ends. He agreed to do that, and he got a little discount because he signed early. Now, the Bucks don’t have to worry about losing their best player as they try to win the title.
