While Anthony Davis’ days with the New Orleans Pelicans seem numbered, another small-market franchise foresees a long future with its own superstar.
The Milwaukee Bucks are hoping they will be able to retain Giannis Antetokounmpo long after he is due to hit the open market in 2021, Bleacher Report’s Howard Beck wrote Tuesday in an in-depth feature on the 25-year-old superstar.
To that point, Antetokounmpo’s former teammate Jason Terry told Beck that he doesn’t envision The Greek Freak going the superteam route.
“Giannis, his DNA, his makeup is, he has the ability to carry a team to the championship level himself,” Terry said. “I think he’s still enjoying the challenge of trying to take on the world’s best, like LeBron, head to head. Trying to take on guys like KD head-to-head. And he’s really enjoying that matchup and embracing it. I mean, he wants to be the best player in the NBA. I’ve heard him say that on multiple occasions.”
We’ve seen it before: small-market teams being unable to hold onto their best players, who bolt to play alongside bigger names in bigger markets. But Beck outlined Antetokounmpo has no interest in teaming up with other superstars nor joining one of the league’s superteams.
“As several people around the league noted, Antetokounmpo didn’t grow up playing on the AAU circuit and therefore is not as conditioned to the superstar model as his American peers,” Beck wrote. “Moreover, he’s not part of Team USA, which has fostered so many of the friendships that later turned into NBA partnerships (see: the 2010 Miami Heat). …
“Along those same lines, and in defiance of the NBA’s new-age fraternalism, Antetokounmpo has repeatedly turned down invitations to work out with other stars. He sees no point in sharing anything with his rivals. Nor is he likely to seek out a superteam.”
