The Bucks‘ Giannis Antetokounmpo will miss two to four weeks with a calf injury sustained in last night’s game against the Pistons, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported late Thursday morning. On the one hand, that’s a massive relief compared to every NBA fan’s worst fears in the immediate aftermath: dear god, please don’t be an Achilles tear. We’ve seen too many already within the last year. Despite the apparent non-contact nature of the incident, Doc Rivers said postgame that an Achilles injury wasn’t likely.
Today’s update thankfully confirms that belief, but on the other hand, it’s not like he’ll be back on the floor Friday versus Philadelphia. Amid roiling trade drama, the implications of Giannis’ return timeline suggest that he may have played his last in a Bucks jersey.
Two to four weeks gives Giannis, front office time to work out potential deal
If truly his last game, that would be a quite an unceremonious way to end his legacy in Milwaukee – three minutes into a disastrous start against the Pistons, in a game his teammates then stormed back to win without him.
It’s quite possible. Even the shorter end of the recovery period would put Antetokounmpo’s return past the December 15 cutoff, when recently signed players become eligible for trades, effectively opening trade season.
Which might as well be synonymous with the “Giannis Antetokounmpo sweepstakes.” Yesterday’s reports that Giannis and his agent have initiated conversations with the Bucks over the best plan of action for his future dropped a bombshell on the franchise and its fanbase, vindicating months of much-opposed reporting on Giannis’ interest in a potential trade. Bucks fans might just have to take a big fat L on this one.
Of course, he might not fly out the door as soon the cutoff date hits and other teams can package their previously restricted players in potential deals. He hasn’t yet made a formal trade request. He has, on the other hand, deleted most of his recent Bucks content from his Twitter and Instagram accounts, an update that immediately followed Milwaukee’s demoralizing defeat to the 2-16 Wizards.
Given their 0-5 mark without him – even Kevin Porter Jr.s’ return probably isn’t enough to offset Giannis’ absence – they would lucky to hang around .500. Right now the Bucks sit 10-13, 10th in the Eastern Conference. With his focus on competing for a title, Giannis probably won’t hang around if the Bucks are struggling.
Two to four weeks gives both his camp and the Bucks’ a chance to work out a destination acceptable to both sides. Even if a deal doesn’t happen within that time frame, it’s a good bet that plenty of the groundwork will be laid for a trade that could go down later, closer to the February trade deadline.
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