The Milwaukee Bucks are still exerting every effort to prevent their franchise’s cornerstone from going elsewhere.

According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Milwaukee reached a new three-year, $186 million deal agreement on Monday. According to Wojnarowski, the agreement contains a player option for the 2027–2028 campaign.
His previous contract had a $51.9 million player option for the 2025–2026 season and ran through the 2024–2025 season. But after the top-seeded Bucks’ unexpected first-round loss to the Miami Heat in the 2023 playoffs, his long-term fate with the team came under scrutiny.

At the time, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst stated, “I think it is unlikely Giannis extends his contract this summer.” “They are a late-stage contender with a superstar in his 20s, and there are teams in this league watching very closely to see what happens with the Bucks this summer.”

The remarks were especially noteworthy because they were made just before the Bucks’ roster could have included up to 11 free agents, including Brook Lopez and Khris Middleton (player option), depending on how things worked out.

Notably, Milwaukee signed Middleton and Lopez to extended contracts.

The job security of head coach Mike Budenholzer was again called into question during the Game 5 loss to Miami, as he failed to use a timeout at the conclusion of regulation or overtime and had no response for Jimmy Butler.

After the loss, Milwaukee chose to terminate him.

The most significant change may have been when Antetokounmpo stated on the 48 Minutes podcast in September 2023 that if there is “a better situation for me to win the Larry O’Brien, I have to take that better situation”:

Shortly after those remarks, the Bucks acquired seven-time All-Star Damian Lillard, which abruptly altered the equation. Like Antetokounmpo, Lillard is a top player in his generation and a member of the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team.

It was easy to see the move as a promise to Antetokounmpo that Milwaukee would go above and beyond to keep him at the forefront of the team’s title defense.

And with this agreement, it has now guaranteed his long-term future.

That is good news for the Bucks because he is quickly rising to the status of one of the greatest players in NBA history, having won a championship, been named to the All-NBA team twice, been nominated to the All-Star team seven times, been selected to the All-Defensive team five times, been named an NBA Finals MVP, and won defensive player of the year.
Whether or not his on-court career ends in tears, he will always be remembered as a Milwaukee legend for his 50 points, 14 rebounds, five blocks, and close victory over the Phoenix Suns in Game 6 of the 2021 NBA Finals. This past season, he further enhanced his legacy with yet another outstanding performance.

Antetokounmpo shot 55.3 percent from the field in 2022–23 and averaged a career-high 31.1 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 5.7 assists per game.

Although it wasn’t enough to win him his third MVP, at 28 years old, he is still in the heart of his peak and is one of the few players in the league who can control a game both offensively and defensively. He should continue to play that way for the foreseeable future.

With this new contract, Milwaukee ensures that he will be doing that for years to come with the only NBA team he has ever known.