Only weeks ago, it seemed the most likely outcome was that Giannis Antetokounmpo would get traded before the February deadline. His calf injury added to that sentiment. It invited the Milwaukee Bucks to tumble down the standings.
Sure enough, they're 3-8 in their last 11 tilts. That has dropped them to 11th in the Eastern Conference. That means Milwaukee is on the outside looking in at the play-in tournament.
If the Bucks continue trending in that direction, perhaps they will part with their franchise star before the trade deadline passes. However, for now, they're holding firm.
The Bucks are clinging to Giannis
Understandably, the organization is more interested in making it work with the two-time league MVP. Milwaukee could rebuild with a package of picks and promising young players or more proven talent. That's not what this team wants.
General Manager Jon Horst is reportedly making that abundantly clear.
"If Giannis requests out. Every trade talk around the league, every team that's discussing something puts all that on hold," said Brett Siegel on the latest edition of Clutch Scoops, a podcast produced by ClutchPoints.
"The Bucks continue to signal that they are not willing to discuss Giannis Antetokounmpo trade packages. Teams have reached out, and they have been met swiftly by Jon Horst with a firm no that they are not trading Giannis at this time."
Furthermore, as Jake Fischer of The Stein Line noted, "One rival general manager I spoke to went so far as to say that the Bucks have convinced him that 'they're going big-game hunting.'"
Milwaukee remaining steadfast about keeping Antetokounmpo in the "Cream City" is not the approach many teams around the league were hoping for them to take. That includes a pair of the Boston Celtics' rivals.
Before the current campaign got underway, the Bucks and the New York Knicks reportedly discussed a potential blockbuster to bring the nine-time All-Star to "The Big Apple." Surely, with the chance to end their 52-year drought since winning the NBA championship -- not an in-season tournament in December -- the reason that deal didn't get done was not New York's unwillingness to pay the price necessary.
Milwaukee's stance is also one that the franchise residing in South Beach won't receive warmly. The Miami Heat would love to land the next superstar who can lead them back into title contention. They can offer burgeoning young talent, like Kel'el Ware, a package of draft picks, and make the money work without saddling the Bucks with an unwanted, long-term contract.
Yet, for now, the Heat and the Knicks will have to hope that Milwaukee continues to slide down the standings, prompting the Bucks to change course. Perhaps, the further they fall, the more likely it is that Antetokounmpo demands out. If that never changes, then neither might the team he plays for. Of course, this matter could have a different resolution when the offseason arrives.