The Indiana Pacers beat the Milwaukee Bucks 123-115 on Tuesday night to take a 2-0 lead in the first round Eastern Conference playoff series.
Giannis Antetokounmpo had 34 points, 18 rebounds and seven assists, but the Bucks are now two losses away from not making it out of the first round for the third straight postseason.
The timing couldn't be worse. Chris Haynes was on The Dan Patrick Show on Monday, and Patrick asked if Haynes thought Antetokounmpo would finish his career in Milwaukee. Haynes's answer, combined with the current state of the Bucks-Pacers series, should be cause for concern in Milwaukee.
"I don't think so. I don't think so," Haynes said of Giannis playing his entire career in Milwaukee. "This is going to be a pivotal playoff. These 2025 playoffs for the Milwaukee Bucks. This is going to be pivotal. If they don't get to the Finals, win the Finals, or even make a deep run you can probably see some wholesale changes going on in Milwaukee. From, you know, you can go from coaching staff, front office to the players. It can be a pretty big significant wholesale if the Milwaukee Bucks don't make a significant run this postseason."
That certainly doesn't seem likely in the wake of the team's Game 2 loss. Back to Haynes, Patrick followed up by asking if he thought the Bucks would actually trade Giannis.
"I could see them going in a different direction," Haynes answered. "Yeah, I can see that possibility if things go sour this postseason for sure."
Antetokounmpo, who just turned 30 in December, has two years and more than $112 million remaining on his current contract. He averaged 30.4 points, 11.9 rebounds and 6.5 assists a game this season.
Media members and other teams have been dreaming of the day that Giannis would tire of Milwaukee for the better part of a decade. The Bucks being the ones to initiate it would be kind of shocking.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Bucks Down 0-2 After Insider Says Team Could Trade Giannis Without Deep Playoff Run.
