Bucks–Giannis Standoff Adds Fuel to NBA’s Tanking Crisis

The new conflict between the Bucks and star Giannis Antetokounmpo has added a twist to an NBA season marred by tanking.

The Athletic reported Wednesday that the two sides are in disagreement on whether the two-time MVP should play the team’s final 14 games of the regular season.

The Bucks (28–40) reportedly want to shut down Antetokounmpo for the remainder of the campaign. The 2021 Finals MVP, who has missed about half of the season due to injuries, wants to continue playing. 

Antetokounmpo has also been a subject of trade rumors all season and is expected to be in the market again in the offseason. But his disposition about finishing out the season on the court is similar to his public approach to trade rumors. 

“There will never be a chance, and there will never be a moment that I will come out and say, ‘I want a trade,’” he told The Athletic in January. Antetokounmpo is in the first year of a three-year, $175 million deal, though he could opt out of his contract after next season. 

Unsurprisingly, the Bucks have performed much better with Antetokounmpo in the lineup (17–19) than without him (11–21). But they are likely going to miss the postseason as they currently trail the Hornets by six-and-a-half games for the final Eastern Conference Play-In spot. If they lose more games, they could improve positioning for the NBA Draft Lottery.

The Bucks will have a first-round selection in the 2026 draft, but they don’t have complete control over their pick. The Pelicans own pick swap rights to their pick dating back to the 2020 trade that brought Jrue Holiday to Milwaukee. New Orleans traded that pick to the Hawks, meaning Atlanta will receive the better of the picks.

Milwaukee is currently projected to have the No. 10 pick and is five games ahead of the Pelicans in the standings. New Orleans is currently projected to have the No. 7 pick. Even if the Bucks receive the worst pick, they’re incentivized to lose to at least improve their odds compared to the Bulls (28–41) or Grizzlies (24–44).

Tanking Trend

If the Bucks shut down Antetokounmpo, they’d follow the strategy that many of the teams below them in the standings have now been executing for weeks. The Wizards acquired Trae Young via trade in early January and he’s played just five games since. Anthony Davis has yet to play since being traded to D.C. in February.

The Pacers and Nets have been sporadically resting Pascal Siakam and Michael Porter Jr., respectively. The Kings already shut down Zach LaVine and Domantas Sabonis for the rest of the season. The Jazz were fined $500,000 in February after resting stars Lauri Markkanen and Jaren Jackson Jr. during the fourth quarter of games. Jackson, who was acquired ahead of the trade deadline, will miss the remainder of the season after undergoing surgery to remove a growth in his knee.

In recent weeks, NBA commissioner Adam Silver has publicly recognized that tanking in the league has reached new lows.

“Are we seeing behavior that is worse this year than we’ve seen in recent memory?” Silver said in February. “Yes, is my view.”

ESPN reported in January that the NBA is considering new rules to curb tanking, including not allowing teams to draft in the top four for consecutive seasons.