Giannis Antetokounmpo gets four year, $100 million deal from Milwaukee Bucks
The Milwaukee Bucks had a disappointing 2015-16 season, but they’ve rewarded Giannis Antetokounmpo for his breakout campaign with a big new contract.
After making the playoffs in Jason Kidd’s first season as head coach, the Milwaukee Bucks fell off with a disappointing 33-49 record last season. But having 2014 No. 2 overall pick Jabari Parker healthy all season was a good sign, and Giannis Antetokounmpo improved his numbers across the board (16.9 points, 7.7 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game).
Entering his fourth NBA season, and only approaching 22 years old (Dec. 6), “The Greek Freak” is clearly a big part of the Bucks’ future. On Monday, the team made a financial commitment that shows just that.
Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo has agreed on a four-year, $100M contract extension, league sources tell @TheVertical.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) September 19, 2016
Antetokounmpo is technically a small forward by trade, despite standing 6-foot-11, but Kidd eventually gave him the reigns at point guard with good results last season. After the All-Star break last year (28 games), Antetokounmpo averaged 18.8 points, 8.6 rebounds, 7.2 assists, 1.9 blocks and 1.4 steals per game. Those numbers were all increases from what he did pre-All Star break last season, with bumps in scoring (15.9 points per game before the All-Star break) and assists (2.8 per game before the All-Star break) of particular note.
Antetokounmpo also was more efficient after the All-Star break, with a 2.5:1 assist/turnover ratio compared to a 1:1 assist/turnover ratio before that. When taken with the slight increase in usage rate that comes with being a point guard (24.2 percent after the All-Star break, 21.4 percent before), the new role clearly suited Antetokounmpo.
A first glance, it seems the Bucks are severely overpaying by giving Antetokounmpo close to a max contract starting in 2017-18. Wojnarowski added the deal is expected to be made official on Tuesday, presumably with some sort of public announcement from the team via all the available avenues.
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The Bucks are a good bet to rebound and make the playoffs again this season, with Antetokounmpo as the driving force. Beyond that, he will be paid like the star they hope he’s going to become.