Jimmy Haslam Wants Giannis’s Fate Decided Before NBA Draft

Bucks co-owner Jimmy Haslam wants the future of his franchise player resolved before the end of June.

Haslam, who also owns the NFL’s Cleveland Browns, spoke with reporters on Wednesday to introduce Taylor Jenkins, the Bucks’ new coach who previously coached the Grizzlies. When asked if there’s a deadline to decide on Giannis Antetokounmpo’s future with the organization, he said he’d like it to be settled before June’s NBA draft.

“I just think before the draft is a natural time,” Haslam told reporters. “Because if Giannis does play somewhere else, we’ve got to have a lot of assets. That’s [GM Jon Horst’s] job to do. And if he’s here, then you build the team differently.”

The Bucks will learn their draft fate on Sunday when the league holds its lottery. They will own the lottery pick that is the least favorable of their own selection and the Pelicans’.

Antetokounmpo and the Bucks have been in a public tug of war throughout the season as the “Greek Freak” has seemingly grown wary of Milwaukee, the only team he’s played for in his 13-year career. The Bucks missed the playoffs after waiving Damian Lillard and his $120 million contract to sign Myles Turner, and the team was far from contention in a wide-open Eastern Conference.

The two sides had a disagreement in April over whether Antetokounmpo was healthy enough to return for the Bucks’ final regular-season games after he hyperextended his knee in March, a dispute that ultimately led to an NBA investigation. The two-time MVP insisted he was healthy enough to play, while his absence potentially benefited Milwaukee’s draft positioning.