With the ending of the NBA season, endless possibilities are created because of free agency. Fans have begun to speculate on players’ decisions and whether or not strong teams like the Minnesota Timberwolves have the ability to trade their number one pick or use it wisely. However, there is a player who has all the light shining on him who still has another year left on his contract, therefore leaving him outside free agency; this player is Giannis Antetokounmpo, otherwise known as “The Greek Freak”. He has one year left with the Milwaukee Bucks, but many teams are already screaming out their interest for him, after he lost (earlier than expected) in this year’s playoffs.
The Dallas Mavericks and the Miami Heat, who had already qualified the NBA finals in previous years without a caliber player like Antetokounmpo, have confirmed that they will be going “all-in” to get him for their team. If Antetokounmpo decides to join the Miami Heat, they will be the strongest team in the Eastern conference; Antetokounmpo would be an addition to the star-caliber players in the team, such as Jimmy Butler, Goran Drajik, Bam Adebayo, Duncan Robinson, and young Tyler Herro. Nonetheless, if he decides to play for the Dallas Mavericks, it could be considered that they will just be another great team in an already-stacked conference in the NBA. Although the Miami Heat might be of more interest to Antetokounmpo because of their performance in this year’s NBA finals, the Dallas Mavericks contain two strong European players: Luka Doncic, and Kristaps Porzingis. This means that they could really show the power of international players, in a team known for being the host of great international players such as Dallas Mavericks’s legend, Dirk Nowitzki.
That being said, both teams are great options for Antetokounmpo, but he has continuously shown loyalty towards his current team, the Milwaukee Bucks, as seen in the following statement he gave two years ago, “My goal is to win in Milwaukee and bring a championship to the city," Antetokounmpo told The Herd’s Colin Cowherd. Most of his fans claim that he should not remain in the Milwaukee Bucks because the team has nothing more to offer him. Furthermore, the next best player in the team after Antetokounmpo is Chris Middleton, who many fans think is not good enough to win a championship with Antetokounmpo. There is simply not enough experience and star-power for the Bucks to win a championship.
On the other hand, the best real free agent this year is Anthony Davis, but he just won a ring with the Los Angeles Lakers and has already given a statement confirming his plans of staying with the team. Other big names in the free agency are Brandom Ingram, Fred Vanvleet, and Gordon Hayward. The new all-star, Brandom Ingram, who has blossomed in the New Orleans Pelicans in his first year, is most likely to get a maximum contract from them. Fred Vanvleet is a key player in the Toronto Raptors, and has increased his value this season going from averaging 11 points to averaging 17 in the 2019-2020 season according to ESPN. Although Vanvleet is most likely to stay with the Raptors, he still gets offers from multiple teams because of the growth and potential he has shown. Gordon Hayward performed a comeback-season showing that he could still be a valuable player even after his ankle injury, this past August. Gordon will most likely stay in the Boston Celtics, but most fans agree that he does not deserve a max contract in this team. Since he is probably the fourth-best player on the team, it seems as if the team is aiming to focus more on their three stars who continuously demonstrated their great ability and potential this year.
Although this is considered to be a weak free agency by the media and fans, some of these moves will determine the outcome of the next season and the future of the NBA, especially due to the decisions young players (such as Brandon Ingram) have to take. The outcome of this year’s free agency is unpredictable, and the closer the NBA gets to the free agency date, the closer it gets to closing on those endless possibilities that free agency creates.