Giannis Antetokounmpo doesn’t sound too interested in the Bucks’ supermax contract

Giannis Antetokounmpo’s latest comments on the supermax contract offer aren’t encouraging for Milwaukee Bucks fans.

Giannis Antetokounmpo just wants to focus on basketball.

And really, who can blame him?

The two-time reigning MVP has been dealing with questions about his NBA future for years now. The buzz that he’ll leave the Milwaukee Bucks in 2021 free agency has reached a fever pitch now that he’s at a critical juncture in his career, where one decision locks him into his current situation for the long haul, while the other not so much opens the door for him to leave as much as it busts it down altogether.

On Wednesday, Antetokounmpo spoke with the media and fielded questions about the Bucks’ supermax contract offer that could provide a strong hint at what his future holds. His comments weren’t exactly reassuring for the Milwaukee fanbase:

“I am just trying to focus on myself” is a classic line for somebody who’s about to break up with their boyfriend or girlfriend. If he were fully intent on signing that supermax contract, and all that was left was ironing out the final details and dotting those i’s and crossing those t’s, wouldn’t he have just said that?

Giannis Antetokounmpo could very well choose not to sign the supermax

To be fair, Giannis also mentioned that he’s a very private person, and while he recognizes the NBA world cares deeply about this kind of stuff, he hopes the media can focus on basketball because his answers to these contract questions will remain the same until a final decision is made.

Unfortunately, he only has until Dec. 21 to choose whether to sign that supermax extension or become an unrestricted free agent next summer. That means his status is all anyone’s going to care about until he makes a decision one way or another. Giannis is acutely aware this is a huge decision that will have a major impact on himself, the Bucks and the rest of the NBA, so the whole “leaving it up to my agent and the Bucks to figure out” angle doesn’t really track. We’ve heard these types of comments from Kawhi Leonard, Anthony Davis and Paul George before, after all.

Perhaps Giannis really just doesn’t like answering questions about his finances or contract situation and intends to sign the supermax. But based on these types of responses that are basically deflections, the next two weeks leading up to that Dec. 21 are starting to feel more and more nerve-wracking for Bucks fans.

If Giannis ultimately decides not to sign the supermax, then those comments about it not being a “championship or bust” season will start to ring even hollower too.