𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

As league sources confirmed late Monday night, after Bucks GM Jon Horst agreed to an Giannis Antetokounmpo deal with the Miami Heat for the trade package of which co-owner Jimmy Haslam spoke of in early May, Bucks officials already knew by then that there was no Milwaukee future with the “Greek Freak” in it.

Antetokounmpo’s representatives, according to two sources, made it clear that the 31-year-old, who had one season left on his contract, would not sign the extension for which he was eligible on Oct. 1.

In today’s NBA, where no team can afford to say goodbye to a superstar without getting something in return, that meant the prospect of Antetokounmpo’s historic 13-year run in Milwaukee coming to an end had already been deemed inevitable internally — even if, for the sake of optics and leverage in forthcoming negotiations, Haslam opted to pay lip service to the notion that Antetokounmpo might remain.

“I just think before the (June 23) draft is a natural time,” Haslam said on May 6 regarding the team’s planned timeline to reach a resolution. “If Giannis does play somewhere else, we oughta get a lot of assets, and that’s (longtime Bucks general manager Jon Horst’s) job to do it. If (Antetokounmpo) is here, then you build the team differently.”