Bucks owner wants to have Giannis Antetokounmpo decision made by NBA Draft: 'He may or may not be with us'

Giannis Antetokounmpo’s future with the Milwaukee Bucks, whatever it may be, should be decided in the coming weeks.

Bucks owner Jimmy Haslam said on Wednesday that the franchise would make a decision on the star player’s future with the organization before the NBA Draft in June. That gives them about six weeks to come to a decision.

“Before the Draft is a natural time, right? Because if Giannis does play somewhere else, then we ought to get a lot of assets,” Haslam said, via TMJ4’s Karley Marotta. “That’s John’s job to do it. If he’s here, then you’ll build the team differently … I just want to stress though that our relationship with him, despite what is reported by certain ESPN writers, is very positive.”

The situation between Antetokounmpo and the Bucks got incredibly messy this past season. The two sides were in a standoff over his health near the end of the campaign, where the team wanted to shut him down against Antetokounmpo’s wishes.

Antetokounmpo only appeared in 36 games for the Bucks this season, his 13th in the league. He averaged 27.6 points and 9.8 rebounds per game, but hyperextended his left knee and suffered a bone bruise in March. The team missed the playoffs for the first time in a decade.

The NBA even launched an investigation into Antetokounmpo and the Bucks over his return to play. Antetokounmpo reportedly told the Bucks to trade him multiple times during the season, too, though that never happened.