A longtime insider has weighed in on whether nine-time All-NBA Milwaukee Bucks superstar power forward Giannis Antetokounmpo will wrap up 2025-26 on the team that drafted him.
During a fresh conversation with Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated, Rachel Nichols predicted that Antetokounmpo might not finish his 2025-26 season in Milwaukee.
"If he (Antetokounmpo) does start the season with them, that's not even a guarantee that he'll finish the season with them because of how things go in the first few months of the season," Nichols cautioned.
Antetokounmpo, 30, may be growing weary of playing on so many also-rans. Since the Bucks won it all in 2021, the team has advanced beyond the first round only once — in 2022. Milwaukee's current roster only has two players from that 2020-21 championship group, in Antetokounmpo and re-signed sharpshooting backup big man Bobby Portis Jr.
General manager Jon Horst opted to boldly reshape his roster over the summer, stretching-and-waiving injured All-Star point guard Damian Lillard's $112.6 million contract to sign 3-and-D former Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner, who'll replace departed former starting five Brook Lopez. Horst also brought in former Orlando Magic guards Cole Anthony and Gary Harris, and has signed 3-and-D ex-L.A. Clippers wing Amir Coffey to a training camp deal.
Beyond Portis, the Bucks have brought back several of their other own free agents on team-friendly deals. Guards Gary Trent Jr. and Ryan Rollins, forward Taurean Prince, and center Jericho Sims all agreed to veteran's minimum contracts. Point guard Kevin Porter Jr. inked a reasonable two-season, $10.5 million contract with a player option in 2026-27.
Will this supporting cast help Milwaukee be at least good enough to convince Antetokounmpo to stick around? As Nichols alludes, it could all come down to the kind of start Milwaukee gets off to this year.
On Thursday, the Bucks (along with the rest of the NBA) announced their full regular season schedule. Milwaukee's 2025-26 run will tip off on Wednesday, October 22, with a home Fiserv Forum tilt against Khris Middleton's Washington Wizards, slated for 7 p.m. CT.
The blueprint. pic.twitter.com/AytZCXKMSu
— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) August 14, 2025
Milwaukee will get just 13 nationally televised games on ABC, ESPN and NBC/Peacock, plus an additional five national games streamed on Amazon Prime Video. The 2024 Emirates NBA Cup champs will start to defend their fairly meaningless title on November 7, with their first Group Play clash against the Chicago Bulls.
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