Once again, the Milwaukee Bucks had their paws all over a statement win. At the pinnacle, the side held a 17-point advantage against the Boston Celtics. Giannis Antetokounmpo ran through their defense, summoning his most ruthless display tonight. Unfortunately, others couldn’t follow suit. And the champions frustrated the Greek Freak and the Bucks for the second time this season. Wisconsin is back to having a losing streak.

Right after the loss to the Knicks, Antetokounmpo revealed his anger over the team’s intent. “ Are you OK with not competing? I’m not OK with that s***.” the 29-year-old said. In that aspect, the Bucks gave the Celtics a fight, but only for the first half. They reverted back to playing without limitless passion, and the Celtics capitalized in the third quarter. Now with a 2-8 record, the NBA mills are back to work.

Is it time for Giannis Antetokounmpo to leave?

Several suitors have stepped up in the wake of the Bucks’ appalling start. The Warriors and Miami Heat are seen as the frontrunners to trade for the Greek Freak. Yet, one dark horse that has emerged is the Brooklyn Nets. They reattained a hoard of picks they lost during the Durant-Irving saga, and have an interesting asset they could offload which could financially benefit the third-highest-spending team in the NBA.

“I think they can just go all in for Giannis,” Bill Simmons noted on his podcast. The Nets have an attractive roster, with Schroder running the show and Cam Thomas emerging as a consistent scorer. Hence, the veteran analyst feels it could be an ideal destination for Antetokounmpo and a wise decision for the Bucks.

“I think Brooklyn is going to be the team that trades for them because they can just overwhelm Milwaukee with all these picks… They just can say, hey, Milwaukee, here’s Ben Simmons’ expiring contract, and here are all these picks. Just take all of them. “Take as many as you want and give us Giannis, and put Giannis in Brooklyn. I think it makes sense because I think Milwaukee needs to get out of this, this Dame-Giannis thing,” he concluded on The Bill Simmons podcast.

Given their situation, a complete reset on their project isn’t fully out of comprehension. The Bucks are also devid of draft capital, squeezinf out everything until 2031 in the trade for Damian Lillard. However, as tempting as the offer seems, are the Bucks or Giannis Antetokounmpo willing to give up before two proper seasons?

Giannis Antetokounmpo is staying put for now

In the past, he hasn’t shied away from talking about the factors that could force him to move away from his adopted home. The lack of competing and organizational standards matters most to him. “As long as we are in for a championship, as long as nobody’s comfortable, as long as everybody’s sacrificing the same amount of time and sweat and blood that I’ve sacrificed for this city to win a championship, we are all good,” he said about the same.

Currently, these concerns are pumping through the organization. It’s something NBA teams have noticed as well and appropriately made their inquiries. However, Brian Windhorst all Milwaukee have done is receive their calls. “Teams have let the Bucks know in recent months they would make an offer for the Greek Freak if that day ever comes. But those are incoming calls, not outgoing and it’s likely to remain that way,” he noted.

Even if he would entertain a move, the Nets don’t seem like the preferred spot. While young, Brooklyn is trying to develop talent to eventually compete. Giannis Antetokounmpo doesn’t have that patience. Moreover, while Ben Simmons, who is in the last year of his $177 million contract does offer financial flexibility after his contract ends, the former number one pick can’t be the solution for the Bucks.

Hence, the only sensible places for the Greek Freak to set his tent can be narrowed down to two. The Heat are always in the mix for a colossal star and they have ‘monitored’ Antetokounmpo closely. Then there is the Warriors, the destination that makes the most sense. Not only do they have a great pool of talent, but their synergy is top notch, having only lost a two of their 10 games thus far.

It would pair him up with Stephen Curry, a four-time NBA champion motivated to taste success once more in his final stretch with the Warriors. Seasoned forward Draymond Green reminds the team of their objective and leads through his moving voice. For Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Bay could help achieve his dream and he could be the key to the franchise’s present goals.

Either way, given his love and loyalty toward Milwaukee, it’s unlikely that he will be part of any trade during the trade deadline. But it’s the NBA. Nothing can be overlooked.