2020 has been bad enough for the Bucks. They were on pace to be the best team in the league again for the second straight year. NBA Finals looked a real possibility without a Kawhi Leonard standing in their way. Giannis would be up for a supermax contract and potentially sign it ending all of the drama surrounding him. All of these things can still happen technically, but the road to get there is not easy especially the supermax. Per Tim Bontemps of ESPN, Giannis might wait another year on his supermax deal which means another year of fake stories, wild hypotheticals and everything else for Bucks fans.

Giannis might be smart to wait, and it is hard to fault him for that. This is not based on what happens to the Bucks, rather, the money might not make sense. Before the pandemic hit, Antetokounmpo stood to make the most money ever from a supermax deal. That still could hold true with all of his accomplishments, but if the cap goes down next year, there is less money for the Greek Freak. Why would you want to make a deal when you cannot max out your value? Even though it would be painstakingly annoying to hear all the pundits, this would be the right thing to do if you’re an Antetokounmpo.

Bontemps does note that it is still based on the performance of the team despite thinking Giannis will be back on the roster. That idea is one of those assumptions versus facts with Antetokounmpo. Bucks cannot be a shitshow, but if they fail to make NBA Finals this year, it will not immediately mean Giannis is leaving. Could it open the door for other opportunities? Sure. But Giannis feels at home in Milwaukee. It does not seem like he has big-city aspirations and a desire to play elsewhere. Maybe he is playing poker with all of us and not showing his hand yet I have extreme doubts that are the case.

Even if the Bucks win the NBA Finals, it would not surprise me if Giannis waited another year on his deal. He likely wants to get paid the most amount of possible and I don’t blame him.

Charlie.