Milwaukee s desperate bets Antetokounmpo stays behind, the Bucks are standing on the edge of the cliff

The race between health and money is tearing apart the dream of a champion in this small town. On the desk of General Manager Jon Horst, there are salary statements, medical reports and free agent lists stacked – each document points to the same ultimate proposition: How to convince Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Milwaukee beacon, to stay in the midst of storm?

The Bucks management recently submitted a plan to the boss to "retain the core around Antetokounmpo", believing that as long as Lillard returns healthy, the team can still be among the top six in the Eastern Conference and have the ability to disrupt the playoffs. This optimistic prediction has become the core argument for retaining Antetokounmpo. Antetokounmpo's contract has three years left, with a total value of up to US$186 million, and he will hold the player options in the summer of 2027. Although his favorite next-tier list (Royals, Knicks, Heat, Spurs) has been exposed, the Bucks are still making their last move - betting on the competitiveness after the lineup is fine-tuning, and the last bit of trust Antetokounmpo has in Milwaukee.

The Bucks' salary structure is on the verge of suffocation: Big Lopez's contract expires this summer. If he renews his contract, he will trigger the veteran clause premium. Portis has a $13.4 million player option, which is likely to be implemented to protect his interests. Lillard, Antetokounmpo and Middleton (traded) once accounted for 65% of the salary cap. Now Lillard still receives a maximum salary of 54.12 million yuan after he recovers from his injuries. What's more cruel is that the reality is that in the past five years, the Bucks have paid a total of US$220 million in luxury tax, which is in exchange for the first round of games for three consecutive years. After being eliminated by the Pacers this season, the team plans to keep the total salary below $196 million, just to maintain the 14 million middle-class special case - this space is a drop in the market where annual salary is often tens of millions of yuan. On March 26, Lillard was diagnosed with a deep vein thrombosis in his right calf, and then he suffered a repair surgery after tearing his left Achilles tendon. He is expected to miss the entire 2025-26 season. This bad news directly destroyed the Bucks' tactical engine. Last season, Lillard averaged 24.9 points and 7.1 assists per game, and his game contribution value exceeded Curry and Harden. His extremely long three-point deterrent power created 40% of the breakthrough space for Antetokounmpo. Substitute point guard Rollins made only 23% of the three-point shooting percentage of the management urgently locked in three substitutes: Schroeder, Tyame Jones, and Brogdon. But the gap between this type of "temporary workers" and Lillard is like Lake Michigan to the Port of Milwaukee - it seems to be connected, but it is actually a natural barrier.

If the plan to stay in the team fails, the Bucks have prepared plan B, prioritize trading with the Western Conference team, avoid strengthening the direct competitors of the Eastern Conference, and ask for young core + draft picks, especially coveting the Spurs' second pick (target rookie Dylan Harper). Ironically, the Spurs are on the list of Antetokounmpo's favorites. But the Spurs will never easily give out Wenban Yama's golden partner. The championship team wants to be now, the Bucks are stuck in the middle and both ends do not dock.

The sky in Milwaukee has never been so divided. On one end, Antetokounmpo's stubbornness, "If you lose, run away? Is that still me?", and on the other end, the beating deficit and countdown on the management calculator. When Horst signed Schroder or Jones, he bought not only a temporary point guard, but a grain of sand from Antetokounmpo's patient hourglass. If the Bucks fall out of the top six in the Eastern Conference again in the new season, the departure of the Greek monster will no longer be a speculation.

The championship window of the small town team never makes a sound when it is closed.