The whole NBA is on the edge, waiting for Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s decision whether to stay with the Milwaukee Bucks or take his talents elsewhere.
Antetokounmpo will be the biggest domino to fall in the NBA offseason.
DeMarcus Cousins, a former four-time All-Star center, weighed in on Antetokounmpo’s looming decision, believing his perfect move would be to take his talents to South Beach like LeBron James did in 2010, which resulted in two championships and four NBA Finals appearances.
“I would love to see Giannis in Miami,” Cousins said on “Run It Back” on FanDuel TV. “It’s an organization that’s proven. They know how to build around a superstar. It’d definitely put a better light on Pat Riley with how it went with Jimmy Butler to get another superstar like Giannis, so it makes sense.”
“I think that’s the perfect move. It would definitely help Miami, with them struggling to get a superstar after how the breakup went with Jimmy Butler. It makes sense. He’s already said he wants to play in a tax-free state.”
According to NBA writer Sam Amico of Hoops Wire, Antetokounmpo is intrigued by the idea of playing in NBA city where there is no state income tax.
The Heat are one of those four teams in the NBA that have no state income tax. The other three are the Orlando Magic and the two Texas teams — Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs.
While Cousins sees the Heat as the perfect destination for Antetokounmpo’s next chapter, there’s one caveat.
“I just don’t know if they have enough to acquire him like a Houston does, like a San Antonio does, even a Golden State. That would be the only issue there,” Cousins said.
Still No Update on Scheduled Giannis-Bucks Meeting
Getty Milwaukee Bucks star duo Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo might be headed for a breakup this summer.
The Bucks had set a meeting with their franchise star to get clarity on where their relationship stands. But so far no update has yet to emerge whether it went down or was re-scheduled.
It was NBA insider Chris Haynes who reported the scheduled meeting.
“I was told the Bucks made contact with Giannis Antetokounmpo early as this morning and sources relayed to me that a meeting is expected to be scheduled for mid-next week,” Haynes reported on May 17. “This is where Giannis is going to have a chance to speak with Bucks brass and talk about the direction of the team.
“There’s a lot going on with the Bucks this offseason. Knowing Giannis personally, one of the toughest competitors we have in this league. A guy who has great ambition. He wants multiple championships. That’s all he wants to do. To be put in a position where he can play alongside a team that has a chance to fight for a title. This is going to be a very, very crucial meeting next week.”
The Bucks are in no position to compete for a championship next season after they lost Antetokounmpo’s co-star Damian Lillard to a devastating Achilles injury. They only have one first-round pick to use in a trade and have no tradable assets outside of Antetokounmpo.
Giannis Makes All-NBA First Team
On Friday, Antetokounmpo was named to the All-NBA First Team for the seventh time in his career.
Antetokounmpo joined this year’s MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder, Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell, Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum and Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokić.
Antetokounmpo finished third behind Gilgeous-Alexander and Jokić in the MVP voting.
Gilgeous-Alexander was the runaway winner with 913 total points on the strength of 71 first-place votes. Jokić was a distant second with 787 points with 29 first-place votes. Antetokounmpo amassed 470 points. He did not receive first-place or second-place votes.
The Bucks star averaged 30.4 points, 11.9 rebounds, and 6.5 assists per game this season.
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Former All-Star Pitches Giannis Antetokounmpo’s ‘Perfect Move’