Giannis open to exploring best fits outside Bucks

As decision-makers for each 30 NBA teams descend upon Chicago for the draught harvester this week, determination volition beryllium substantive conversations astir the biggest chartless and domino of the offseason -- Milwaukee Bucks guardant Giannis Antetokounmpo.

The two-time NBA MVP has not made immoderate steadfast decisions connected his Bucks aboriginal aft the franchise's 3rd consecutive postseason exit successful the archetypal round, but for the archetypal clip successful his career, Antetokounmpo is open-minded astir exploring whether his champion semipermanent acceptable is remaining successful Milwaukee oregon playing elsewhere, league sources told ESPN.

Teams person approached the Bucks often implicit the years astir the availability of Antetokounmpo arsenic a mean exercise, and are expected to ramp up owed diligence during harvester week, according to league sources.

But immoderate conversations surrounding the perennial All-NBA superstar and 2021 NBA champion commencement chiefly with wherever helium believes his semipermanent aboriginal lies, and whether determination is simply a franchise extracurricular of Milwaukee that is sensible for him.

The Bucks and Antetokounmpo's representatives, Giorgios Panou and Alex Saratsis, are expected to beryllium down during the offseason to sermon the future, sources said.

For the remainder of the NBA, squad executives, coaches and players each recognize the landscape-altering absorption connected Antetokounmpo's aboriginal and however it impacts each 30 franchises. From the draught lottery connected Monday nighttime to draught nighttime successful June, the prospects of Antetokounmpo being moved loom largest connected league movements.

Antetokounmpo is coming disconnected 1 of the champion seasons of his career, averaging 30.4 points, 11.9 rebounds and 6.5 assists connected 60% shooting successful 67 games and finishing successful the apical 3 of MVP voting. It's his 2nd consecutive play averaging 30-10-5 connected 60% shooting; nary different subordinate successful NBA past has done it adjacent once.

Antetokounmpo was adjacent amended successful this postseason -- raising his crippled to mean 33.0 points, 15.4 rebounds and 6.6 assists against the Indiana Pacers -- Milwaukee inactive mislaid successful 5 games to Indiana.

Since 2018-19, Milwaukee has a .663 triumph percentage, the champion successful the NBA during that span, according to ESPN Research. Still, the Bucks person won conscionable 1 playoff bid since the franchise's NBA title successful 2021, and Antetokounmpo has stated repeatedly that helium desires to triumph aggregate titles successful his career.

"Me not having a 2nd title -- I look backmost astatine my vocation and everybody tin say, 'Oh, unthinkable career, progressive Hall of Famer, archetypal ballot, whatever.' But me, my idiosyncratic goal, if I americium not capable to assistance my squad triumph a 2nd ring, I'm letting down myself," Antetokounmpo said during an quality with his brother, Thanasis, past period connected the "Thanalysis Show" podcast.

Antetokounmpo, 30, was drafted by Milwaukee successful 2013 and has spent his full 12-season vocation with the franchise, collecting a plethora of awards on the way, including Finals MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, Most Improved Player of the Year and 9 All-Star appearances.

He has signed a maximum hold to stay successful Milwaukee doubly erstwhile his semipermanent aboriginal has been successful question -- a supermax declaration successful 2020 and again successful 2023 -- and remains nether declaration until the 2026-27 season, with a $62.8 cardinal subordinate enactment for 2027-28.

But this summertime sets up a imaginable crossroads successful his vocation successful Milwaukee, which aft 9 consecutive playoff appearances and 2 large trades for constituent guards, finds its resources depleted. Internally, the Bucks judge they person much functionality than they person had successful years due to the fact that they person exceptions successful escaped bureau and a draught prime to trade.

After being promoted to Bucks wide manager successful the summertime of 2017, Jon Horst made a bid of acquisitions that catapulted the franchise to its archetypal NBA title successful 50 years. He hired Mike Budenholzer arsenic coach, signed Brook Lopez and Bobby Portis arsenic escaped agents, and traded for PJ Tucker implicit the people of 3 years.

Horst has besides shown an unthinkable quality for making large deals up of the astir captious juncture for these Bucks -- erstwhile the team's endowment level to vie for a rubric waned and erstwhile it had uncertainty with Antetokounmpo's declaration decisions hanging successful the balance: The Bucks traded for Jrue Holiday successful the 2020 offseason, starring to Antetokounmpo's archetypal hold and yet the championship. Then successful 2023, Horst acquired superstar Damian Lillard from the Portland Trail Blazers, and secured different hold from Antetokounmpo.

This offseason, however, represents unthinkable challenges to the Bucks' quality to elevate the roster owed to lacking high-valued tradeable contracts, having a constricted magnitude of picks owed to those acquisitions, and dealing with top-heavy salaries.

The Bucks person 7 players nether declaration for adjacent play -- Antetokounmpo, Kyle Kuzma, AJ Green, Andre Jackson Jr., Chris Livingston, Tyler Smith and Lillard, whose 2025-26 play is successful jeopardy aft helium tore his near Achilles tendon during Game 4 against Indiana. Lillard volition crook 35 successful July and is owed $113 cardinal successful the adjacent 2 seasons. Lopez, Portis (player option), Taurean Prince, Kevin Porter Jr. (player option) and Gary Trent Jr. each could go escaped agents this summer.

Pat Connaughton besides has until June 24 to opt into his $9.4 cardinal declaration for adjacent season. Antetokounmpo, Lillard and Kuzma would gain $130 cardinal of the Bucks' $164 cardinal successful payroll adjacent season.

The Bucks besides person an inability to commercialized aggregate first-round picks arsenic the adjacent first-rounder they ain is six years from present successful 2031. They tin presently determination either their 2031 oregon 2032 first-round pick.

The commercialized for Kuzma astatine the deadline allowed the Bucks to get nether the restrictive 2nd apron of the corporate bargaining agreement, which could beryllium important this summertime arsenic the squad evaluates its options.

The Bucks are $23 cardinal beneath the luxury taxation and $41 cardinal beneath the 2nd apron, without Lopez. If Milwaukee re-signs the 37-year-old large man, uses its $14.1 cardinal non-tax mid-level objection and past fills retired the roster, the Bucks would go a luxury taxation squad for a sixth consecutive season. Since 2019-20, Milwaukee has spent $220 cardinal successful taxation penalties, but ownership volition request to see whether it makes consciousness to proceed digging heavy into taxes adjacent play with a constricted roster.

ESPN's Jamal Collier and Bobby Marks contributed to this report.