The Milwaukee Bucks have won the franchise’s first NBA Championship in 50 years. The decades of being blocked by the dominant 80’s Boston Celtics, wallowing in mediocrity, and being spurned by our own draft picks are over. For the first time in decades, the Bucks have a legitimate chance to build a dynasty, or at least a perennial contender for NBA titles. The most joyous part about this is that all signs point that way.
Giannis Antetokounmpo Is Here for a LONG Time
When the 2019-2020 season ended, the major story surrounding the Bucks was whether or not Giannis Antetojounmpo would sign the supermax. If he did not, he could have entered free agency after this season. Many fans of other teams were already posting pictures of Giannis in their favorite team’s jersey.
To the relief of Bucks’ fans, and the ire of others, Giannis chose to sign the extension with the team that drafted him. He repeated the words that he had said so many times before: “I want to bring a championship to Milwaukee. This is my city.”
Giannis Antetokounmpo on why he signed the supermax extension: “I couldn’t leave. … I wanted to get the job done.”
— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) July 21, 2021
Now, here’s the best part: the supermax has not even kicked in yet! That’s right. Giannis’ previous contract expires at the end of THIS league year. The supermax contract he signed starts next season. At just 26 years old, Giannis already has a Hall of Fame resume.
As Giannis enters the prime of his career, he is locked in with the Milwaukee Bucks for what should be his best. He already has two MVP Awards, a Defensive Player of the Year Award, five All-Star selections, an All-Star Game MVP, and, of course, a Finals and Finals MVP. Most players do not get close to those accolades in a decade or more of playing. Giannis did it before he turned 27. In short, he’s only going to get better, and he’s going to get better with the Bucks.
Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday Are Locked Up
In addition to Giannis being signed for years to come, so also are Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday. Along with Giannis, the two players form a Big Three that is obviously good enough to win championships.
Whereas some championship teams get dismantled shortly after due to free agency or trading away contracts, this Big Three has signed with Milwaukee while leaving room for other supporting pieces. Despite the high salaries of the three, the Bucks still have had enough cap space to bring in other players to help them compete.
Giannis, of course, was the MVP of the Finals, and he certainly deserved it. No one should forget, though, that without Middleton and Holiday, the Bucks would not have even reached the Finals. Middleton had himself a 40-point game in the Finals, to go along with many clutch performances throughout the championship run. While Holiday saw his shot cool off considerably, he was a rock on defense and can defend just about anyone on the floor.
The fact of the matter is this: in today’s NBA, teams need a good core of three excellent players in order to have a serious chance at winning. Middleton and Holiday are excellent players, and they are Milwaukee Bucks for the foreseeable future.
Milwaukee Is Now a Destination City
Everyone in Milwaukee loves Bobby Portis. He has become a cult favorite in Milwaukee, as evidence by the “BOBBY, BOBBY, BOBBY” chants whenever he enters a game. What many people did not know until recently was that it was Portis who reached out to Milwaukee.
In a recent interview, Portis revealed that he got Giannis’ number and told him that he believed he could really help Milwaukee. He asked Giannis to go to the bosses for him. Giannis did, and the rest is history.
For the first time in the franchise’s history, free agents WANT to go to Milwaukee. Remember when Anthony Davis made a list of teams he wanted to be traded to? Milwaukee was on it. Granted, it was probably there for the sake of having more than one or two teams on the list. However, the fact that Milwaukee was actually a plausible option says a lot.
Now, Milwaukee is fresh off a NBA title. Everyone wants to play for a winner, and now the Bucks are champions. That is a great way to lure free agents to a city.
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