World news – African Union – Giannis Antitekonmou on the future with PAX: ‘It depends on the decisions they make’

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You might be the middle of the pandemic, but there seem to be different rules about travel when you’re the best player in the NBA. . Giannis Antetokounmpo has been all over Europe this off-season, and recently made his way to Sweden, as documented on his Instagram account..

While there, he gave an exclusive interview with Swedish outlet Aftonbladet, a Stockholm-based daily newspaper.. Of course, he was asked about his future with the Milwaukee Bucks, and he would have said (Advice to Swedish journalist Alexander Nelson):

Giannis: “There are a lot of rumors. Everyone has opinions. But at the end of the day, I’ll do what’s best for my family. I don’t understand why I couldn’t stay in Milwaukee for several years. As long as Milwaukee and I are on the same page when it comes to being one of the best teams in the league and winning trophies, that’s fine.. . When he’s changing, he’s not going to be good. It’s easy, I want to be a winner. I don’t care about the money. My family is fine and I can take care of my children and grandchildren so that’s not the most important thing right now, it’s winning. As long as we can win and create a winning culture, that will be fine.

Aftonbladet: So your plan is to stay in Milwaukee next year and then sign an extension?

Giannis: “I don’t know what the plan is. It depends on the decisions they make. If they make the right decision, I will be there for many years. If they don’t, we’ll see. NBA is business and we take it day in and day out. We hope to succeed together.

Overall, that’s the same thing we’ve been hearing from Giannis for a while. He has made it clear that he won’t be asking for a deal from the Bucks this off-season, and if he thinks they’re the best team for a title, he’ll sign back. If not, he will look elsewhere. Even more interesting than this interview is his comments about money, and an outright demand that the Bucks make the right moves around him..

Giannis is eligible for an ultra-fast extension this off-season, valued at approximately $ 221 million over five years. If he refuses and leaves for a new team at a free agency next summer, the maximum he can sign will be $ 140 million over four years.. That’s an additional $ 80 million in secured funds, and about an additional $ 10 million each year by the end of the deal.

Supermax is set up this way to help teams preserve their stars, but it doesn’t seem like it is of much benefit to the Bucks. Now, only Giannis knows if the extra money isn’t really important, or if he’s just trying to project a certain picture of himself, but he won’t be the first player to turn down the Supermax in favor of winning.. From a university-wide point of view, it will be interesting to see if this issue will be addressed during the upcoming CBA negotiations.

Plus, that’s what Giannis has been most outspoken about wanting the Bucks to put the right pieces around. He has generally talked about getting better as a team, building a winning culture, etc.. And there were reports of the Bucks promising that they would take the right steps. But these are more « read between the lines » things, while this message is clear: Take the right steps if you want me to stay.

After collapsing in the second round of qualifiers into the bubble, they clearly have to make some changes in Milwaukee out of season, and without roof space means attacking the trade market. Various reports indicate that they held discussions about Bogdanovi, Viktor Oladipo and Chris Ball while trying to improve the gaming industry, although the latter seems unlikely..

Obviously we’ll have to wait to see exactly what the Bucks are doing, but the pressure is now official, if it’s not already.

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Milwaukee Bucks, Giannis Antitkounmo, Best Player Award in the NBA, NBA