Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Surprise Role in Mikal Bridges’ $150M Knicks Payday

The future of Milwaukee Bucks center Giannis Antetokounmpo has been one of the most-talked about topics of the NBA offseason.

Many expected the two-time MVP to be traded amid reports he’s unhappy with the direction the Bucks are going in a loaded Eastern Conference and the team’s roster not getting any closer to being championship-caliber.

Milwaukee parted ways with Damian Lillard after just two seasons — a move that reportedly upset Antetokounmpo, though he would’ve missed most of the 2025 season after suffering a torn Achilles in the playoffs — and it brought in former Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner on a four-year, $107 million contract.

But even with Turner’s addition, plus the Bucks retaining Bobby Portis, Kevin Porter Jr., Gary Trent Jr., and Taurean Prince, some are still convinced Antetokounmpo is looking for an out — something a Bucks front-office executive recently admitted he doesn’t believe to be true.

“We have no indication that anything is really changing as far as our relationship with the player we think is the best in the world,” the exec told Sportac’s Keith Smith. “We rebuilt on the fly, in a really challenging situation, but we think we did it as well as it could be done.”

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Antetokounmpo has been linked to several teams via trade over the last few weeks including the Los Angeles Lakers, San Antonio Spurs, and New York Knicks, but one of those teams reportedly changed course after learning that Antetokounmpo likely won’t request a trade out of Milwaukee, according to a report from Hoops Wire.

“The Knicks would have pursued Giannis Antetokounmpo had the two-time MVP requested a trade from the Bucks,” Hoops Wire’s Ashish Mathur reported. “All signs point toward Antetokounmpo remaining in Milwaukee.”

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News of Antetokounmpo likely staying put presumably played a role in the Knicks deciding to lock up forward Mikal Bridges to a four-year, $150 million contract on Thursday that includes a player option for the 2029-30 season plus a trade kicker. Bridges can’t be traded for six months after the signing extension.

“By completing this new contract, Bridges takes a slight discount from his max extension number ($156 million) to help New York maintain flexibility to continue building the roster,” ESPN’s Chris Herring wrote.

In his first season with the Knicks, Bridges averaged 17.6 points, 3.7 assists, 3.2 rebounds, and 37 minutes per game. It was his lowest scoring average since the 2021-22 season (14.2 points per game).