Philly Front Office

A few years ago, they looked like the perfect couple. Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks were the mismatched but ideal pairing of good looks and good personality, the fitness instructor dating the beer belly. They were the life of the party together and even won a championship. It looked like they would be good forever. If anyone was going to make it, it was them. They started dating before he had blossomed into the desirable attraction that people went out of their way to see. They saw his potential before anyone else. That’s true love.

Close friends though were always worried that it wouldn’t last, they were just too different.  With flashier destinations hitting on him constantly, would his faithfulness start to erode and his eye wander? Would the team have the confidence to stay true to itself, or would it start to change in fear of losing its star?

Little by little it seems to be both. No one has ever seen them fight before, but something seems to be bubbling under the surface. The latest move, waiving Damian Lillard to sign Myles Turner, reeks of desperation on the Bucks part to keep Giannis happy. Now they are even dumping their new friends after cutting off their old ones. First it was Jrue Holiday, then it was Kris Middleton, they all used to be inseparable. They didn’t just have good times, they had the best times, winning a championship in 2021. All of a sudden Holiday wasn’t cool enough anymore. The Bucks shipped him to Portland in favor of Damian Lillard. Lillard was VERY fancy. Milwaukee thought that he was exactly what Giannis would want. They spent a lot to get him too. In fact, they really overextended themselves in order to get him. People warned them that Dame wasn’t what he used to be and that they were living beyond their means, but Milwaukee didn’t care. They simply had to impress Giannis.

It didn’t work. Right away people were telling them that the fit was all wrong. That it was bad for the health of the team. Instead of listening to this advice, Milwaukee just found a new doctor. A quack therapist named Doc Rivers. A doctor to the stars, Rivers is known for telling couples exactly what they want to hear and will charge exorbitant prices to do so. Just don’t expect him to actually help. He didn’t. In the end, he just told them that all of their problems would just go away in time. He convinced them to get rid of Middleton in favor of Kyle Kuzma, a known trainwreck of a basketball player. Nothing worked. Instead, once Dame got hurt, all of their problems were exposed for everyone to see.

This looked like the perfect time for the relationship to go its separate ways. It could have worked out for everyone and no one would look like the bad guy. They could still be friends and maybe salvage things enough to split the assets evenly. Instead, Milwaukee chose to double down even further, mortgaging the house to Lillard to bring in Myles Turner. The interest alone is going to be crippling even if it seems like a good idea right now. Now they have to field a competitive team with Dame counting $22.5m against the cap every year for 5 years. They are going to be reminded of him every time they can’t do something. That’s how resentment starts. This is going to get real toxic, real fast.

Now Giannis is going to look around and see that he is hanging out with people he doesn’t really like anymore. Brook Lopez was the final old friend out the door. Now Kyle Kuzma is the 3rd best player and Kevin Porter is playing point guard while they are still getting advice from Doc Rivers! Other teams are going to start really pushing Giannis now. When he eventually leaves, and he will, the Bucks won’t have any draft picks, won’t have any talent, and will still be paying Damian Lillard.