The Milwaukee Bucks have been a tough contender in the league’s Eastern Conference Central Division in the past years. On Friday, the Bucks reportedly signed the young Greek-Nigerian player Alex Antetokounmpo, the youngest brother of basketball players Giannis, Thanasis, and Kostas, and then soon after ended up waiving him.
The Bucks already have the duo of the brothers Giannis and Thanasis on their team and seemed to do quite well with the pair, but have apparently decided to add the third brother in as well.
It was done in an attempt to retain the player’s G League rights, as the NBA roster was already full. This was done with him last offseason as well.
Now, if Alex were to spend at least 60 days with the Wisconsin Herd, which is the Milwaukee Bucks’ official G League Affiliate, he would then become eligible for a bonus worth almost $75,000, as commented by The Athletic’s Eric Nehm.
While playing in the G League, Alex averaged 5.8 points per game in a total of 32 games with 3.0 rebounds per contest while shooting 37.2% from the field.
Also Read: Michael Owen Believes That a 24-year-old Liverpool Player Has the Potential to Become a Top-class Player.
Brothers of Alex Antetokounmpo
Giannis Antetokounmpo, brother of Alex, as well as a player for the Bucks, has been a two-time MVP for the team, while Thanasis has been a staple on the Bucks’ bench for the past years.
Kostas is the only brother who has not been a member of the Bucks organization at some point. However, Kostas did win a championship for the 2020 Los Angeles Lakers and currently plays in Greece for Panathinaikos.
While the players signed by any team under the G League hardly leave an impact on the NBA teams, the Bucks are in a somewhat peculiar position.
Giannis, the star of the Bucks who is also two years away from free agency, has already mentioned in an interview that he will not sign an extension with the Bucks this offseason. It thus puts pressure on the Bucks to ensure that he is happy in the next offseason when he is only a year away from free agency.
One way of accomplishing that would be to win another championship, which is mostly out of the team’s sole control. But an alternative could be to sign other Antetokounmpo siblings, which is more achievable than the former. Many teams have tried to do the same in the past years.
The Lakers also had their eyes on Giannis if he had become a free agent in 2021. Giannis also said that he is currently interested in the Lakers as well. This likely was caused by the Lakers’ choice to go after his brother, Kostas, for the 2019-20 season. The New York Knicks is another team that interests Giannis, who reportedly went after Thanasis this offseason.
Giannis is the backbone of the Bucks, and they have been hard at work trying to keep him happy. Thus, a $75,000 bonus for his brother is a small price to pay to accomplish it.
