Giannis Antetokounmpo probably will set the going rate for the NBA’s best players in the new decade.
The Milwaukee Bucks forward was named to the All-NBA first team for the 2018-19 season Thursday. Because this is Antetokounmpo’s second consecutive appearance among the best of the NBA’s best, he jumps into an unrivaled contract bracket, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks.
Antetokounmpo will enter the final year of his current contract in July 2020, opening the window for the Bucks to re-sign the NBA MVP contender for that record $247.3 million in total salary.
The Bucks almost certainly will offer him that super-max contract, lest they risk losing their franchise player, who helped transform them from afterthought to NBA Finals contender.
Antetokounmpo just might become the NBA’s first super-max player, unless Charlotte Hornet guard Kemba Walker and/or Portland Trail Blazers guard Dame Lillard beat him him to the mark and re-sign with their original teams.
Anthony Davis will become eligible to sign such a contract with the New Orleans Pelicans, but he already informed the team he has no intention of doing so and has requested a trade.
Regardless of the order in which players pen super-max contracts, Antetokounmpo’s would be worth more than the others, reflecting his status as the NBA’s biggest star in 2021 and beyond.
