On the surface, the Milwaukee Bucks are doing everything they possibly can to make Giannis Antetokounmpo happy. They waived the injured Damian Lillard and signed Myles Turner to a huge free agent deal. They even signed Giannis' brother today. No, not Thanasis — they already did that in August. This time it's Alex. What's Kostas up to these days?
This is all such a desperately transparent effort to keep Giannis from demanding a trade, but honestly, I completely get it. When you have one of the top few players in the league, you do everything you can to make it work. You don't trade him away for 50 cents on the dollar and then fall ass-backwards into the No. 1 pick, and yes, that was a dig at the Dallas Mavericks.
The Bucks are trying, I have to give them that, but it seems like the writing is on the wall. Giannis said at Bucks media day that he's completely locked in and committed to trying to win with this team, but he was also devastatingly honest when he followed that with, "Now, if in six, seven months I change my mind, I think that's human, too."
The Bucks haven't gotten out of the first round of the playoffs since they won the 2022 NBA title, and Giannis wants to win. If the team can't find some success this year in an Eastern Conference that's been ravaged by injuries, then it's probably not going to happen. A slow start could be all it takes for Giannis to force a move.
It was reported recently by ESPN's Shams Charania that the Bucks had fleeting trade discussions this summer to send Giannis to the Knicks, but that the talks never got serious. That could change if Giannis puts his foot down and says he wants out.
The only chance the Bucks have of keeping Giannis is by surrounding him with enough talent to win and proving that they're a serious organization. Unfortunately, their trade last year for Kyle Kuzma hasn't really done that.
Kuzma finished last season with the ninth-worst plus/minus in the league, a terrible stat made all the worse when you consider that only half of that time was spent with the dreadful Wizards, and he missed 17 games limit the damage. Let's see what he's been working on to become more of a positive contributor in this all-important season: Oh boy.
As the above Reddit user puts it, Kuzma attempted signature moves from Hakeem Olajuwon, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Michael Jordan all in a 12-second stretch. Emulating the greats is a time-honored practice, but Kuzma didn't get much for his troubles except a couple of free throws and a highlight that could double as a Three Stooges blooper reel.
Kyle Kuzma needs to be studied, at the end they’re literally laughing because Kuzma just 360 jumped into this man praying for a foul 😭 pic.twitter.com/rCqJTRoos7
— Follow HeavenlyBuckets (@Heavenlybuckets) October 13, 2025
The Bucks need to find a role for Kyle Kuzma that will allow him to make a positive impact
In fairness to Kuzma, he actually ended up with a pretty nice stat line in this game, scoring 19 points in 18 minutes on 46.7 percent shooting. He made half his 3s and also chipped in five rebounds and an assist as the Bucks beat the Bulls 127-121.
The plan seems to be to bring Kuzma off the bench. That would be a smart idea, allowing him to focus his energy in short bursts without trying to be the Robin to Giannis' Batman. Kuzma is a skilled player, but he's been on losing teams for so long that the Bucks need to rewire his brain to help him find his fit. It's not the number two or three, that's for sure. He needs to find his role and do it well.
There's no time to waste if the Bucks are going to convince Giannis that staying gives him his best chance to win. They open at home against Kuzma's old team, the Wizards, so they better win that one. The schedule quickly toughens up, though, with a tricky trip to Toronto followed by dates with the two Eastern Conference co-favorites, the Cavs and the Knicks. It could be worse, as the first 13 games also include home matchups with the Kings and Bulls and back-to-back games against the Hornets.
No fans in the NBA are more nervous right now than Bucks fans, and every loss will only amplify that fear. They need to get off to a hot start, and to do that, they need to have the good version of Kuzma. It's crazy to think that the fate of Giannis and the future direction of the franchise itself hinges so much on such a volatile player, but that's the NBA for you. In the meantime, the trade machine will be working overtime.