Bucks owner Haslam wants Giannis’ future settled before NBA draft
MILWAUKEE — bucks co-owner Jimmy Haslam says he wish to have Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s future sorted out before subsequent month’s NBA draft.
Haslam Wednesday spoke alongside basic supervisor Jon Horst at a information convention introducing Taylor Jenkins because the Bucks’ coach. Antetokounmpo has spent his total 13-year profession with the Bucks, however it’s attainable he might depart Milwaukee after a irritating, injury-marred season.
“I just think before the draft is a natural time,” Haslam stated. “Because if Giannis does play somewhere else, we’ve got to have a lot of assets. That’s Jon’s job to do. And if he’s here, then you build the team differently.”
Antetokounmpo has repeatedly stated that he likes taking part in in Milwaukee however wants to play for a franchise dedicated to competing for championships. The Bucks went 32-50 this season to snap a string of 9 straight playoff appearances.
The Bucks can provide Antetokounmpo a four-year, $275 million contract extension in October. If Antetokounmpo would not signal, he might turn out to be a free agent after subsequent season.
Haslam, additionally a co-owner of the NFL’s Cleveland Brownsit will just like the matter settled lengthy before October. He spoke Wednesday as if the choice stays with the Bucks as a lot because it does with Antetokounmpo.
“We never had any problem communicating directly with Giannis — at all — and always knew where he stood,” Haslam stated. “And I think he always knew where we stood. We’ve had those kind of conversations since the season was over. … So sometime over the next six or seven weeks, we’ll decide whether Giannis is going to sign a max contract and stay with us, or he’s going to play somewhere else. And Jon and Taylor, along with [co-owner] Wes [Edens] and myself will make that call, and we understand the gravity of that call.”
The Bucks can have a lottery decide this yr in their very own spot or in New Orleans‘ spot, whichever is much less favorable. The draft lottery is Sunday.
Antetokounmpo, 31, led the Bucks to their first title in half a century in 2021, and he owns nearly all of the franchise’s main profession data. He gained the primary of his two straight MVP awards in 2018-19, when Jenkins was an assistant on Mike Budenholzer’s employees.
Horst famous the Bucks have sought enter from Antetokounmpo and different gamers throughout earlier teaching searches, however they did not this time. Jenkins stated he has communicated with Antetokounmpo since he took the job.
“He’s expressed tremendous excitement for me and my family,” Jenkins stated. “Obviously, even only being here for one season, he and I established a really good relationship and maintained that respect, even from a distance.”
The 41-year-old Jenkins coached the Grizzlies from 2019 to 2025 and went 250-214, main them to 3 straight playoff appearances from 2021 to 2023. Memphis acquired past the primary spherical beneath Jenkins simply as soon as, in 2022, when the second-seeded Grizzlies beat Minnesota before dropping to Golden State within the Western Conference semifinals.
Memphis was decimated by accidents in 2023-24 and went 27-55. The Grizzlies fired Jenkins with 9 video games left within the 2024-25 season and have been swept by eventual champion Oklahoma City within the first spherical of the playoffs.
Jenkins’ success with Memphis made him a beautiful head teaching candidate, and he shortly centered on a attainable return to Milwaukee relatively than ready to seek out out if any playoff groups made teaching modifications.
He understood it was attainable he would not be teaching Antetokounmpo.
“When this opportunity became available, I was like, I know the people,” Jenkins stated. “I know what they stand for. I know what their standards are going to be on a day-to-day basis.”
Jenkins will turn out to be the Bucks’ fourth coach in 5 seasons, not counting Joe Prunty’s three-game interim stint in February 2024.
Budenholzer, who led Milwaukee to the 2021 title, was fired after a 2023 playoff loss to Miami. Adrian Griffin lasted barely half a season, going 30-13 before he was fired. Doc Rivers took over and stepped down after this season with a 97-103 report.
The Bucks have been one of many league’s most disappointing groups this season as accidents restricted Antetokounmpo to a career-low 36 video games.
“Giannis has brought Milwaukee its second championship and the first in 50 years,” Haslam stated. “He’s a phenomenal player. He’s a phenomenal person. He’s arguably one of the best basketball players in the world and we will do what’s best for Giannis and what’s best for the organization. We don’t know whether Giannis will stay with us or not, but we’ll work through that with Giannis in the coming weeks.”
