Why a Giannis trade might be even more complicated this summer - ESPN

THE HIGH-SPEED TRAINS passing through the Brightline station in West Palm Beach travel north and south between Orlando and Miami, creating a rumble that shakes the conference room on the second floor.

It's here, at this crossroads in South Florida, that the two men with final say over one of the biggest stories in the NBA have come to discuss the future of the face of their franchise, superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Milwaukee Bucks co-owners Wes Edens and Jimmy Haslam told ESPN in a joint 90-minute interview that they will decide the path to take with their two-time MVP together, and the most important factor will be whether Antetokounmpo signs the four-year, $275 million extension he is eligible to receive on Oct. 1.

«Giannis is going into the last year [of his contract],» said Edens, the team's controlling owner until April 2028. «So one of two things will happen: Either he will be extended or he'll be traded.»

«The likelihood you'll let him just kind of play out the last year, we can't afford that. It's not consistent with what's good for the organization. That's not a Giannis issue. That's any player that's in their last year.»

Yet team sources, rival executives and league insiders question whether the situation is that simple. Interviews with more than a dozen people with knowledge of the situation say what's happening in Milwaukee goes beyond a typical NBA franchise's struggle to maintain a winning roster: A unique ownership structure has made it difficult for opposing franchises to identify who is actually running the team.

«This has nothing to do with Giannis and whether he asks out,» said one source with knowledge of the team's operations. «It's about who's making the decision on whether to trade Giannis, and I