Could the Milwaukee Bucks’ only realistic path to contending for their next championship require the team to ditch one of the greatest players of all time, nine-time All-Star power forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, while the 30-year-old is still near his prime?
The two-time league MVP averaged 30.4 points, 11.9 rebounds, 6.5 assists, 1.2 blocks, and 0.9 steals across 67 healthy contests for a 48-win Milwaukee squad this season, the third straight year he has notched averages of at least 30 points, 11 rebounds, and five assists.
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He improved those marks to averages of 33.0 points, 15.4 boards, and 6.6 dimes, plus 1.0 steals and 1.0 blocks during the playoffs — but even his terrific output couldn’t save Milwaukee from its ultimate fate. The Bucks were vanquished in five games by the 50-win Indiana Pacers. Antetokounmpo was eliminated from the first round of the playoffs for the third consecutive year.
Worse than the outcome of the playoffs, Antetokounmpo lost his best teammate for the indefinite future, with one of the worst injuries possible for a small guard.
Breaking: Damian Lillard has been diagnosed with a torn left Achilles tendon, per @ShamsCharania
He will miss the remainder of the playoffs. pic.twitter.com/ZKThbnIz6U
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) April 28, 2025
Nine-time All-Star point guard Damian Lillard tore his Achilles tendon near the beginning of Game 4.
While in conversation with colleague Michael Pina on his pod “The Zach Lowe Show,” The Ringer’s Zach Lowe posited that the Bucks’ title window with Antetokounmpo is now officially closed.
“Put it simply: there is no hope for the Bucks to win big as currently constructed,” Lowe said. “Trading Dame was the last pivot point that they could potentially maybe have had to surround Giannis with a winning roster.”
Offloading the final two years and $112.6 million owed the 34-year-old Lillard on his deal was already going to be something of an uphill battle, even prior to the Achilles tendon tear.
Although the 6-foot-2 Weber State product is (as previously mentioned) a nine-time All-Star, one of the greatest 3-point shooters of all time, and a member of the league’s exclusive 75th anniversary team list, his declining athleticism and injury issues at the ends of recent seasons would likely have given rival teams pause.
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Now, following this Achilles tear, Lillard’s entire future is in doubt. He is likely to miss most or all of the 2025-26 season as he recuperates from surgery. As a small point guard in his relative NBA dotage, there is no guarantee that Lillard will ever recapture his All-Star form again. Any positive trade value Lillard had prior to the devastating ailment is now gone.
“There is no path to reclaiming their own draft picks that have been traded in the Jrue Holiday and Damian Lillard trades, there is no path to getting those picks back, Nets-style, and opening up a tank path, that does not also include trading Giannis,” Lowe added.
Per Lowe, Milwaukee needs to trade its best player to improve its future.
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Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo Looking to LeBron James For Inspiration Entering Offseason
Bucks’ Doc Rivers Listed Among NBA’s Worst Coaches in Player Poll
Wild Trade Proposal Has Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo Landing With Warriors
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