(Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
The Milwaukee Bucks were the biggest winners of this offseason.
Not only did they manage to land Damian Lillard, but they also secured Giannis Antetokounmpo for the long run.
Just weeks after stating that he wouldn’t sign an extension this year, the Greek Freak gave his team a vote of confidence and secured a three-year extension worth $186 million.
While that’s obviously a lot of money, ESPN insider Brian Windhorst believes it was a “questionable” move by the forward.
Talking on “First Take,” Windhorst stated that the Bucks should rename the boulevard outside of the arena to honor Giannis for the gift he gave them.
.@WindhorstESPN says Giannis’ contract extension was a “questionable” move.@stephenasmith disagrees pic.twitter.com/hb2f5Sk76v
— First Take (@FirstTake) October 24, 2023
He explained that he didn’t need to rush to take that money because he could’ve gotten an additional year and more cash if he had waited.
The Bucks have a new and unproven coach, and Khris Middleton is coming off his worst season in quite a while due to injuries.
So, Windhorst believes that Giannis has now lost some leverage by locking himself up for the next several years with the team.
Of course, he’s about to get a whopping $62 million a year, so it’s not like he’s doing charity work, but he was aware of the fact that it was better for him to wait, at least financially speaking.
At the end of the day, Giannis has always been a team-first guy, and while he did threaten to leave, he’s always affirmed his commitment to the organization, and other stars should take a page out of his book.
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