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Bucks rumors: Giannis Antetokounmpo ghosted management leading up to Heat trade
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Giannis Antetokounmpo may technically still be a member of the Milwaukee Bucks , but he hasn't really been a part of the organization for a while now, according to a new report.
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In the wake of the trade in which the Bucks agreed to send Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis to the Miami Heat for Tyler Herro , Jaime Jaquez Jr. , Kel'el Ware, Kasparas Jakucionis , three first-round draft picks, a pick swap, and a second-round pick, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Jim Owczarski wrote that Antetokounmpo had purposefully cut off communication with his longtime team.
"Despite a March proclamation that his relationship with the team could be salvaged with 'couples therapy,' Antetokounmpo said on April 12 he was going to put his phone on 'do not disturb' and not answer it," Owczarski wrote.
"'Just stay away from it – all of it," he said. 'I feel like this season, not just because of the way it went, it was draining for me for sure and how everybody approached my situation and the Bucks situation. But again, if it was draining for me, it was definitely draining for the team and for the organization.'
While Antetokounmpo did speak with new Bucks head coach Taylor Jenkins "on several occasions," according to Owczarski, the Greek superstar otherwise kept his distance from the Milwaukee organization . Specifically, he did not respond to messages and calls from the team, the Bucks did not keep his representatives updated about trade talks, and Antetokounmpo did not permit anyone from the team to monitor his training.
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Antetokounmpo, 31, has spent his entire 13-year NBA career with the Bucks, who drafted him 15th overall in 2013. With the team, he became a two-time league MVP and an NBA champion and Finals MVP in 2021.
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