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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DeMar DeRozan scores 27 points to lead the Kings past the Raptors 122-107

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SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — DeMar DeRozan scored 27 points in a record-setting performance and the Sacramento Kings beat the Toronto Raptors 122-107 on Wednesday night.

Domantas Sabonis added 17 points, 13 assists and 11 rebounds for his third triple-double of the season for Sacramento. He shot 6 for 6 from the field and 5 for 5 at the free-throw line.

Keegan Murray chipped in with 22 points and 12 rebounds, and De’Aaron Fox scored 21.

The 35-year-old DeRozan has scored at least 20 points in each of his first eight games with the Kings, breaking a franchise mark established by Chris Webber when he reached 20 in his first seven games with Sacramento in 1999.

DeRozan spent the past three seasons with the Chicago Bulls. The six-time All-Star also has played for Toronto and San Antonio during his 16-year NBA career.

RJ Barrett had 23 points to lead the Raptors. Davion Mitchell scored 20 in his first game in Sacramento since being traded to Toronto last summer.

Takeaways

Raptors: Toronto led for most of the first three quarters before wilting in the fourth. The Raptors were outscored 33-14 in the final period.

Kings: Fox played strong defense but struggled again shooting from the floor as he is dealing with a finger injury. Fox went 5 for 17 and just 2 of 8 on 3-pointers. He is 5 for 25 from beyond the arc in his last three games.

Key moment

The Kings trailed 95-89 early in the fourth before going on a 9-0 run that gave them the lead for good. DeRozan started the spurt with a jumper, and Malik Monk scored the final seven points.

Key stat

Sabonis had the eighth game in the NBA since at least 1982-83 with a triple-double while missing no shots from the field or foul line. The previous player to do it was Josh Giddey for Oklahoma City against Portland on Jan. 11.

Up next

Raptors: At the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday night, the third stop on a five-game trip.

Kings: Host the Clippers on Friday night.

___

AP NBA:

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Whitecaps take confidence, humility into decisive playoff matchup vs. LAFC

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VANCOUVER – The Vancouver Whitecaps are one win away from moving on to the next round of the Major League Soccer playoffs.

To get there, however, the Whitecaps will need to pull off the improbable by defeating the powerhouse Los Angeles FC for a second straight game.

Vancouver blanked the visitors 3-0 on Sunday to level their best-of-three first-round playoff series at a game apiece. As the matchup shifts back to California for a decisive Game 3 on Friday, the Whitecaps are looking for a repeat performance, said striker Brian White.

“We take the good and the bad from last game, learn from what we could have done better and go to LAFC with confidence and, obviously, with a whole lot of respect,” he said.

“We know that we can go there and give them a very good fight and hopefully come away with a win.”

The winner of Friday’s game will face the No. 4-seed Seattle Sounders in a one-game Western Conference semifinal on Nov. 23 or 24.

The ‘Caps finished the regular season eighth in the west with a 13-13-8 record and have since surprised many with their post-season play.

First, Vancouver trounced its regional rivals, the Portland Timbers, 5-0 in a wild-card game. Then, the squad dropped a tightly contested 2-1 decision to the top-seeded L.A. before posting a decisive home victory on Sunday.

Vancouver has scored seven goals this post-season, second only to the L.A. Galaxy (nine). Vancouver also leads the league in expected goals (6.84) through the playoffs.

No one outside of the club expected the Whitecaps to win when the Vancouver-L. A. series began, said defender Ranko Veselinovic.

“We’ve shown to ourselves that we can compete with them,” he said.

Now in his fifth season with the ‘Caps, Veselinovic said Friday’s game will be the biggest he’s played for the team.

“We haven’t had much success in the playoffs so, definitely, this is the one that can put our season on another level,” he said.

This is the second year in a row the Whitecaps have faced LAFC in the first round of the playoffs and last year, Vancouver was ousted in two straight games.

The team isn’t thinking about revenge as it prepares for Game 3, White said.

“More importantly than (beating LAFC), we want to get to the next round,” he said. “LAFC’s a very good team. We’ve come up against them a number of times in different competitions and they always seem to get the better of us. So it’d be huge for us to get the better of them this time.”

Earning a win last weekend required slowing L.A.’s transition game and limiting offensive opportunities for the team’s big stars, including Denis Bouanga.

Those factors will be important again on Friday, said Whitecaps head coach Vanni Sartini, who warned that his team could face a different style of game.

“I think the most important thing is going to be to match their intensity at the beginning of the game,” he said. “Because I think they’re going to come at us a million miles per hour.”

The ‘Caps will once again look to captain Ryan Gauld for some offensive firepower. The Scottish attacking midfielder leads MLS in playoff goals with five and has scored in all three of Vancouver’s post-season appearances this year.

Gearing up for another do-or-die matchup is exciting, Gauld said.

“Knowing it’s a winner-takes-all kind of game, being in that kind of environment is nice,” he said. “It’s when you see the best in players.”

LAFC faces the bulk of the pressure heading into the matchup, Sartini said, given the club’s appearances in the last two MLS Cup finals and its 2022 championship title.

“They’re supposed to win and we are not,” the coach said. “But it’s beautiful to have a little bit of pressure on us, too.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 6, 2024.

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PWHL unveils game jerseys with new team names, logos

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TORONTO – The Professional Women’s Hockey League has revealed the jersey designs for its six newly named teams.

Each PWHL team operated under its city name, with players wearing jerseys featuring the league’s logo in its inaugural season before names and logos were announced last month.

The Toronto Sceptres, Montreal Victoire, Ottawa Charge, Boston Fleet, Minnesota Frost and New York Sirens will start the PWHL’s second season on Nov. 30 with jerseys designed to reflect each team’s identity and to be sold to the public as replicas.

Led by PWHL vice-president of brand and marketing Kanan Bhatt-Shah, the league consulted Creative Agency Flower Shop to design the jerseys manufactured by Bauer, the PWHL said Thursday in a statement.

“Players and fans alike have been waiting for this moment and we couldn’t be happier with the six unique looks each team will don moving forward,” said PWHL senior vice president of business operations Amy Scheer.

“These jerseys mark the latest evolution in our league’s history, and we can’t wait to see them showcased both on the ice and in the stands.”

Training camps open Tuesday with teams allowed to carry 32 players.

Each team’s 23-player roster, plus three reserves, will be announced Nov. 27.

Each team will play 30 regular-season games, which is six more than the first season.

Minnesota won the first Walter Cup on May 29 by beating Boston three games to two in the championship series.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 7, 2024.

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