Why Giannis Antetokounmpo's future in Milwaukee is far from settled - ESPN

AS GIANNIS ANTETOKOUNMPO grappled with his Milwaukee Bucks future this offseason, general manager Jon Horst made the 6,000-mile trek to Athens, Greece, in late July for a face-to-face meeting with his franchise's cornerstone star — the 2021 NBA champion and Finals MVP.

Horst was coming off a transformative summer for the Bucks, having made the daring move to waive and stretch Damian Lillard to free up the cap space to sign center Myles Turner from the rival Indiana Pacers. It was a major long-term financial commitment, in terms of not only Turner's four-year, $108 million contract but also the cap hit from the remaining $113 million on Lillard's deal that would stay on Milwaukee's books for the next five seasons. It was a full-fledged effort to keep Antetokounmpo in Milwaukee. However, the Bucks had not sought Antetokounmpo's approval or consultation before making the move, just as they hadn't required it when acquiring Lillard from the Portland Trail Blazers in 2023.

The 2019 NBA Executive of the Year, Horst has been with Milwaukee since 2008 and took over the GM role in 2017. This marked the third time he has creatively doubled down on the Antetokounmpo-led Bucks, after acquiring Jrue Holiday in 2020 and Lillard in 2023.

So in Athens, Horst sat with Antetokounmpo and one of his agents, Giorgos Panou, for the sides' most seminal and candid meeting of the summer. It was meant to be an open forum to discuss any lingering hard feelings following Milwaukee's third consecutive first-round exit and thoughts on anyone's mind about the Bucks' moves. The architect of the Bucks' first title-winning team in 50 years laid out his vision for the 2025-26 season, saying he believed this version of the roster could compete for a