Will Giannis Antetokounmpo leave the Bucks? Rumors already swirling about star's next contract, free agency - Yahoo | Canada News Media
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Will Giannis Antetokounmpo leave the Bucks? Rumors already swirling about star's next contract, free agency – Yahoo

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Though they managed to extend their Eastern Conference semifinal series with a Game 4 win over the Heat, it seems to be a matter of when, not if, the Bucks will be eliminated from the 2020 NBA playoffs. Milwaukee lost the first three games of the series, and no NBA team has ever overcome a 3-0 deficit.

As soon as the final buzzer goes off to signal the end of the Bucks’ 2019-20 campaign, one of the most important offseasons in franchise history will begin. At that moment, all eyes will shift to Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Defensive Player of the Year and likely back-to-back MVP.

<p class="canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)–sm Mt(0.8em)–sm" type="text" content="NBA PLAYOFFS: Updated TV schedule, scores for Round 2” data-reactid=”21″>NBA PLAYOFFS: Updated TV schedule, scores for Round 2

Much like Kevin Durant, LeBron James and Kawhi Leonard before him, if Antetokounmpo enters free agency, his decision could change the landscape of the league. But is “The Greek Freak” actually ready to leave Milwaukee?

Let’s start with the basics here before we jump into the rumors…

When will Giannis Antetokounmpo be a free agent?

<p class="canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)–sm Mt(0.8em)–sm" type="text" content="Antetokounmpo is not eligible to become a free agent until after the 2020-21 season. He signed a four-year, $100 million extension with the Bucks in 2016, and that deal did not include any player or team options.” data-reactid=”25″>Antetokounmpo is not eligible to become a free agent until after the 2020-21 season. He signed a four-year, $100 million extension with the Bucks in 2016, and that deal did not include any player or team options.

<p class="canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)–sm Mt(0.8em)–sm" type="text" content="Here are the figures from that extension, per Spotrac:” data-reactid=”26″>Here are the figures from that extension, per Spotrac:

Season Age Base Salary
2017-18 22 $22.471 million
2018-19 23 $24.157 million
2019-20 24 $25.842 million
2020-21 25 $27.528 million
2021 26 Unrestricted free agent

Will Giannis Antetokounmpo sign a supermax contract with the Bucks?

While Antetokounmpo can’t start the free agency process this year, he is eligible for a supermax contract with his current team. That’s why the upcoming offseason is so huge for the Bucks.

As Milwaukee general manager Jon Horst has previously indicated, there will be no hesitation from the front office. The five-year supermax deal could land in the neighborhood of $250 million — it’s difficult to nail down an exact number because of the uncertainty about the salary cap — but the Bucks are prepared to pay whatever it costs to keep Antetokounmpo.

<p class="canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)–sm Mt(0.8em)–sm" type="text" content=""I think we all fully believe that if we continue to put the right things in place and give Giannis the right opportunities — he loves Milwaukee, he loves the state of Wisconsin and I think he'll be a Buck for a long time," Horst said during a town hall event last year.” data-reactid=”32″>”I think we all fully believe that if we continue to put the right things in place and give Giannis the right opportunities — he loves Milwaukee, he loves the state of Wisconsin and I think he’ll be a Buck for a long time,” Horst said during a town hall event last year.

Antetokounmpo has been described as incredibly loyal, which is an advantage for the Bucks, but he is also fiercely competitive. If he doesn’t believe Milwaukee is built to win championships, he could turn down the supermax, let the 2020-21 season play out and become an unrestricted free agent.

<p class="canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)–sm Mt(0.8em)–sm" type="text" content="After the Bucks lost to the Raptors in the 2019 Eastern Conference finals, ESPN’s Malika Andrews reported on this exact situation and why it could present problems for Milwaukee:” data-reactid=”34″>After the Bucks lost to the Raptors in the 2019 Eastern Conference finals, ESPN’s Malika Andrews reported on this exact situation and why it could present problems for Milwaukee:

Antetokounmpo has consistently made public proclamations of his love for Milwaukee, as he grew up and became acclimated to American culture in Cream City after moving from Greece. Antetokounmpo adores the Bucks medical staff. His mother moved to Milwaukee. But he is all about winning. In more concrete terms, a source close to Antetokounmpo said that getting to the NBA Finals is not just an ambition, it could tip the scales as he weighs his contractual future.

Signing the supermax contract would immediately end all speculation surrounding Antetokounmpo. On the other hand…

Will Giannis Antetokounmpo leave the Bucks?

Yeah, this could get crazy. The rumors are already ramping up, and the Bucks aren’t even officially out of the playoff picture yet.

<p class="canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)–sm Mt(0.8em)–sm" type="text" content="From Yahoo Sports’ Vincent Goodwill:” data-reactid=”40″>From Yahoo Sports’ Vincent Goodwill:

[The Heat have] contained him and shown the soon-to-be two-time Most Valuable Player his biggest warts in a raw but controlled fashion, similar to the job the Toronto Raptors did to him for the last four games in the conference finals last year.

It’s no wonder many in league circles believe Miami and Toronto are the frontrunners in the Antetokounmpo sweepstakes, with one observer telling Yahoo Sports “it’s an open secret” within the Orlando bubble.

<p class="canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)–sm Mt(0.8em)–sm" type="text" content="In addition to the Heat and Raptors, the Warriors have also been linked to Antetokounmpo, but Golden State would have a much tougher time clearing the cap space necessary to land him. The Warriors wouldn’t have the benefit of an unprecedented cap spike like the year they added Durant to the roster.” data-reactid=”43″>In addition to the Heat and Raptors, the Warriors have also been linked to Antetokounmpo, but Golden State would have a much tougher time clearing the cap space necessary to land him. The Warriors wouldn’t have the benefit of an unprecedented cap spike like the year they added Durant to the roster.

If Antetokounmpo told the Bucks he plans to leave regardless of what happens during the 2020-21 season, then Milwaukee could call teams like Golden State, Miami and Toronto to discuss possible trade packages rather than lose Antetokounmpo for nothing. At this point, though, that’s jumping too far ahead into the future.

Bottom line: The Bucks want Antetokounmpo to sign the supermax contract and stay in Milwaukee through his prime. Other contenders are hoping for a change of heart.

Only Antetokounmpo knows what comes next.

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After 20 years at the top of chess, Magnus Carlsen is making his next move

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STAVANGER, Norway (AP) — Few chess players enjoy Magnus Carlsen‘s celebrity status.

A grand master at 13, refusing to play an American dogged by allegations of cheating, and venturing into the world of online chess gaming all made Norway’s Carlsen a household name.

Few chess players have produced the magical commodity that separates Norway’s Magnus Carlsen from any of his peers: celebrity.

Only legends like Russia’s Garry Kasparov and American Bobby Fischer can match his name recognition and Carlsen is arguably an even more dominant player. Last month, he beat both men to be named the International Chess Federation’s greatest ever.

But his motivation to rack up professional titles is on the wane. Carlsen, 33, now wants to leverage his fame to help turn the game he loves into a spectator sport.

“I am in a different stage in my career,” he told The Associated Press. “I am not as ambitious when it comes to professional chess. I still want to play, but I don’t necessarily have that hunger. I play for the love of the game.”

Offering a new way to interact with the game, Carlsen on Friday launched his application, Take Take Take, which will follow live games and players, explaining matches in an accessible way that, Carlsen says, is sometimes missing from streaming platforms like YouTube and Twitch. “It will be a chiller vibe,” he says.

Carlsen intends to use his experience to provide recaps and analysis on his new app, starting with November’s World Chess Championship tournament between China’s Ding Liren and India’s Gukesh Dommaraju. He won’t be competing himself because he voluntarily ceded the title in 2023.

Carlsen is no novice when it comes to chess apps. The Play Magnus game, which he started in 2014, gave online users the chance to play against a chess engine modeled against his own gameplay. The company ballooned into a suite of applications and was bought for around $80 million in 2022 by Chess.com, the world’s largest chess website.

Carlsen and Mats Andre Kristiansen, the chief executive of his company, Fantasy Chess, are betting that a chess game where users can follow individual players and pieces, filters for explaining different elements of each game, and light touch analysis will scoop up causal viewers put off by chess’s sometimes rarefied air. The free app was launched in a bid to build the user base ahead of trying to monetizing it. “That will come later, maybe with advertisements or deeper analysis,” says Kristiansen.

While Take Take Take offers a different prospect with its streaming services, it is still being launched into a crowded market with Chess.com, which has more than 100 million users, YouTube, Twitch, and the website of FIDE the International Chess Federation. World Chess was worth around $54 million when it got listed on the London Stock Exchange.

The accessibility of chess engines that can beat any human means cheating has never been easier. However, they can still be used to shortcut thousands of hours of book-bound research, and hone skills that would be impossible against human opponents.

“I think the games today are of higher quality because preparation is becoming deeper and deeper and artificial intelligence is helping us play. It is reshaping the way we evaluate the games,” especially for the new generation of players, says Carlsen.

At the same time, he admits that two decades after becoming a grand master, his mind doesn’t quite compute at the tornado speed it once did. “Most people have less energy when they get older. The brain gets slower. I have already felt that for a few years. The younger players’ processing power is just faster.”

Even so, he intends to be the world’s best for many years to come.

“My mind is a bit slower, and I maybe don’t have as much energy. But chess is about the coming together of energy, computing power and experience. I am still closer to my peak than decline,” he said.

Chess has been cresting a popularity wave begun by Carlsen himself.

He became the world’s top-ranked player in 2011. In 2013, he won the first of his five World Championships. In 2014, he achieved the highest-ever chess rating of 2882, and he has remained the undisputed world number one for the last 13 years.

Off the table, chess influencers, like the world No. 2, Hikaru Nakamura, are using social media to bring the game to a wider audience. The Netflix series “The Queen’s Gambit” burnished chess’ unlikely cerebral sex appeal when it became one of the streamer’s biggest hits in 2020.

And in 2022 Carlsen’s refusal to play against Hans Niemann, an American grand master, who admitted to using technology to cheat in online games in the past, created a rare edge in the usually sedate world of chess. There is no evidence Niemann ever cheated in live games but the feud between the pair propelled the game even further into public consciousness.

Whether chess can continue to grow without the full professional participation of its biggest celebrity remains to be seen.

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Top figure skaters ready to hit the ice at Skate Canada International

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Canadian pairs team Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps along with ice dancers Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier headline a strong field at Skate Canada International. The Canadians say they’re excited to perform in front of a home crowd as the world’s best figure skaters arrive in Halifax. (Oct. 24, 2024)

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Nico Echavarria shoots another 64 to lead the Zozo Championship by 2 shots after the second round

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INZAI CITY, Japan (AP) — Nico Echavarria shot a 6-under 64 on Friday — matching his 64 on Thursday — to lead by two shots over Taylor Moore and Justin Thomas after the second round of the Zozo Championship in Japan.

Thomas shot 64 and Moore carded 67 with three others just three shots off the lead including Seamus Power, who had the day’s low round of 62 at the Narashino Country Club.

Thomas has twice won the PGA Championship but is winless in two years on the PGA Tour.

Eric Cole (67) and C.T. Pan (66) were also three behind heading to Saturday.

Nick Taylor, of Abbotsford, B.C., is the top Canadian at 5-under and tied for 16th.

Ben Silverman, of Thornhill, Ont., is two shots back of Taylor and tied for 31st.

“I’ve never had a lead after 36 holes,” said Echavarria, a Colombian who played at the University of Arkansas. His lone PGA win was last year in Puerto Rico.

He had a two-round total of 12-under 128.

“I’ve had it after 54, but never after 36, so it’s good to be in this position. There’s got to be some pressure,” he added. “Hopefully a good round tomorrow can keep me in the lead or around the lead. And how I said yesterday — the goal is to be close with nine holes to go.”

Rickie Fowler, a crowd favorite in Japan because of his connections to the country, shot 64 to go with an opening 68 and was four shots back going into the weekend. Max Greyserman was also four behind after a 68.

“It would be amazing to win here,” said Fowler, whose mother has Japanese roots. “Came close a few years ago.”

Fowler tied for second in 2022

Fowler described his roots as “pretty far removed for Japan, but I’m sure I have relatives here, but I don’t know anyone. Japanese culture’s always been a fairly big part of life growing up. I always love being over here.”

Japanese star Hideki Matsuyama shot his second 71 and was 14 shots off the lead.

Defending champion Collin Morikawa shot 67 and pulled within eight shot of the lead, and Xander Schauffele — British Open and PGA winner this season — shot 65 and was 10 behind after a 73 on Thursday.

“I feel like I’ve got a good game plan out here,” Morikawa said, another player with Japanese connections. “I just have to execute shots a little better.”

“I am the defending champ, but that doesn’t mean I’m immediately going to play better just because I won here,” he added. “It’s a brand new week, it’s a year later. I feel like my golf game is still in a good spot. I just haven’t executed my shots. When that doesn’t happen it makes golf a little tougher.”

Schauffele turned 31 on Friday and said he was serenaded before his opening tee shot. He also has ties to Japan. His mother grew up in Japan and his grandparents live in the Tokyo area.

“Nice way to spend my 31st birthday,” he said.

___

AP golf:

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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