Stephen A Smith: Giannis Antetokounmpo Could Leave Damian Lillard Stranded in Milwaukee if Playoff Woes Repeat

Last year, the Milwaukee Bucks made it to the headlines with the blockbuster Damian Lillard trade. The team traded out Jrue Holiday and roped in offense spearhead ahead of the regular season. As expected, the duo went off to a flying start, staying afloat in the top-4 seeds. However, things didn’t go their way in the postseason as injuries plagued the side. Looking into the unfortunate playoff exit, veteran analyst Stephen A. Smith predicted a possible departure from Giannis Antetokounmpo.

In the latest episode of The Stephen A. Smith Show, the veteran analyst and Kendrick Perkins dived deep into the Bucks’ report card. The former Celtics player pointed out that the Wisconsin side should figure out their Khris Middleton situation, as he felt that 32-year-old forward “looks old.” Building on that, A. Smith said, “He looks old and guess what more weight being put on Damen Lillard’s shoulder to help Giannis is not the in the world.”

The 56-year-old analyst didn’t stop at that. He further said, “If things don’t work out for Milwaukee this year, I think Giannis is going to want out of Milwaukee.” Importantly, he stressed that it was just his “personal opinion” and no “inside information”. If it becomes a reality then it could turn out to be an unfortunate situation for Damian Lillard.

One of the main reasons for Dame Time to move to the Bucks was to put an end to ring-less misery. And, it was almost a reality if not the injury woes ahead of the playoff. Both Giannis Antetokounmpo and Lillard missed the first-round games, exiting the postseason early. If the Greek Freak leaves the franchise in the future, the 8x NBA All-Star will again be stranded alone in a team without a proper supporting cast to make a case for a championship.

Will Giannis Antetokounmpo leave the Bucks?

Giannis Antetokounmpo’s loyalty to the Milwaukee Bucks is unwavering. The one thing that Giannis would never do is that he can’t turn his back against the Bucks. Speaking about exploring opportunities in the league, the former champion once said, “For me, one of my, I don’t know, disadvantages, I’ll say, (is) that I’m very loyal.” And he owes that loyalty to the Bucks organization.

The Bucks brought Giannis and his family out of a crumbling financial struggle. Before the Greek Freak became who he is now, the Bucks identified his talent and promised to make him play in the NBA. Exactly so, they flew him and his brother to the US as the 15th overall pick in 2013. Then the rest is history. Eventually, the superstar brought his entire family to America and changed their fortune.

Speaking of it, Antetokounmpo said, “For the Milwaukee Bucks organization, they’ve been there with me since the beginning; they changed my life.” So it’s almost not possible to expect the 7-foot superstar to leave the Bucks family until he retires. While Stephen A. Smith looked at the championship criteria, he forgot to look into the superstar’s emotional attachment to the historic franchise.

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