In a move to solidify Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s desire to stay with the Bucks, the franchise is re-signing his brother, Thanasis Antetokounmpo, on a guaranteed one-year, $2.9MM (minimum-salary) contract, ESPN’s Shams Charania reports (Twitter link).
The signing is official, according to a team press release relayed by The Athletic’s Eric Nehm (Twitter link).
According to Charania, after a summer of exploring options, Giannis Antetokounmpo — who is currently playing for Greece in the EuroBasket tournament — is staying in Milwaukee to start the season. This will quell speculation that the superstar might request a trade this offseason.
Naturally, if things don’t go well for the Bucks as the season progresses, that could always change. But having his brother back in the fold gives Giannis some added incentive to stay put.
Thanasis is also playing for Greece in the tournament. He was medically cleared to play again this spring after recovering from an Achilles tendon injury.
The 32-year-old underwent surgery in early May of 2024 after tearing his Achilles. He was a free agent this past season after signing mainly minimum contracts to play with his brother in Milwaukee.
Thanasis, who made two appearances with the Knicks in 2015/16, saw action in 196 Bucks games from 2019-24. He played 34 games during the 2023/24 season and has posted averages of 2.4 points and 1.6 rebounds in 7.7 minutes per contest over the course of his NBA career.
The Bucks will now have 15 players on guaranteed contracts, ESPN’s Bobby Marks tweets. This could put Andre Jackson Jr.‘s roster status in jeopardy — the former UConn guard has an $800K guarantee on his $2,221,677 contract. It becomes fully guaranteed if he makes the opening night roster.
lol, like why not just write him a check fir the cash instead and put him with the cheerleading squad.
Isn’t that what they do ? The guy doesn’t play in real games does he ?
Yes, but he still takes up a roster spot
That’s true Wagner, but does the 15th man ever really have an impact as a player? May as well keep the star happy and using that 15th roster spot seems like a good way to do it?
Normally no, but we’ve seen plenty of late second round picks and 2-way players become respectable rotation players. Milwaukee isn’t exactly laden with depth either, so all the more reason not to waste a roster spot.
But your point is also well-taken, especially since Giannis isn’t exactly a guarantee to remain a Buck forever
The 15th roster spot was previously a battle between Andre Jackson (who started 43 games) and Amir Coffey (who played 72 games for a playoff team). Jackson has an 800K guarantee, while Coffey has an Exhibit 9.
Now with that said – I think Thanasis is a better use of a roster spot than Chris Livingston and Tyler Smith (who play the same position). I would be okay with the Bucks waiving either or both for Coffey to make the team. They are both Two-Way eligible and could remain in the organization if desired.
“Isn’t that what they do ? The guy doesn’t play in real games does he ?”
Yeah, he doesn’t play on a Kerr team where he is actively trying to block Kuminga, Kerr would have him in late+close over Kuminga for no reason.
Offer Kuzma, AJ Green Jr with a pick to Miami for Andrew Wiggins.
Waive Ryan Rollins, Sims, Kevin Porter Jr, Nance and Bouyea.
Sign Coffey or Beasley, Thanasis, Fultz and two way Hood-Schfino, Jaylin Martin and Baji
You will always be nothing or win anything with Rollins and Kevin Porter Jr on your team
The team already has 63m in dead weight money for one year so add to it and get back to being a champion
Richard Dumas was caught stealing and lost his career (last straw) so why didn’t Ryan Rollins get in any trouble at all. Ryan Rollins was actually given money for his behavior. Kevin Porter Jr and Rollins should be playing overseas somewhere. S.lver loves these types.
Nuts
Bronny, Jack Haley, Nick Kerr, Kirk Lacob, Austin Ainge, just off the top of my head…
NBA paychecks not for their playing skills but rather for something else.
Why Jack Haley? Lol
He never belonged in the NBA? What should he have been doing?
He’s mentioning Haley because on the 96 Bulls he was basically just there to keep Rodman in check. He played 1 game all year.
Oh I forgot about that. Good call on you both. Haley did play others seasons in the league
Nick Kerr did a great job with SC warriors last year.
Kerr’s son has skills. No doubt about it. He did a great job as you say.
But he didn’t have to start at a JC or high school, then work his way through the college ranks, etc. etc.
I’m not saying it’s a problem. It’s just about Greek freak’s brother getting a new contract that’s all. Pointing out, nepotism in all its glory.
I always find it funny when people complain about DEI being unfair but then nepotism is OK. Like in college students who are not top of the class but get in on legacy because their parents went to that school. Seems like in sports there is a lot of nepotism everywhere.
These are the same people that get DEI and affirmative action confused, so there’s that, too.
The coaching ranks are filthy with examples of nepotism, and far worse than the frequency of occurrences on player rosters. Don’t get me started on the gross institution of legacy students.
Why do the non players you listed require NBA playing skills to deserve a check?
They don’t lol !!
I’m listing guys who have NBA jobs because of who they know not what they know.
But..but..but… what a waste (whaaah)!. He’s taking a spot away from a more worthy player (whaah). Nepotism (whaah). What about the lil Serbian kid that is only going to get half a million to help support his family now because he can’t make the Bucks 15th roster spot now because of this? (whaah, whaahh, whaaaaaaahhh). Lebbbron Jamessss (whaaaaaaah).
Why is it a waste? Nepotism is what it is and it happens everywhere. It’s not a problem.
Guess you missed the sarcasm.
I sure did.
Andre Jackson doesn’t deserve to be released, he worked hard last year. This would be a dirty move. Better waive Ryan Rollins and Kevin Porter Jr
This is way worse than Bronny’s spot lmao
Why, because Bronny is a real NBA player? That’s lmao !!
They’re probably about the same. It makes the star happy so who cares which is “worse?”
Thanasis twirls towels.
when’s alex or kostas gonna be given a turn? time for a different brother.
It’s been obvious for months now, in multiple comments from Giannis himself, that he’s staying with the Bucks this next year. For this signing to be Shams’, and by extension Hoops Rumors’, confirmation of this is a joke. It’s as if he and you have willfully ignored what Giannis says because you want the clicks.
Come on… this is really reaching for a headline… this is about the biggest nothing burger story of the entire summer.. the will Giannis or won’t Giannis ask out of Milwaukee…. omg.. Giannis isn’t going anywhere. and ppl are going to have to begging for this to be a story.. it’s becoming pathetic. And dragging Thanassis into it just makes it worse. The Bucks are easily a top 4 team in the East, with just about as good a chance of making another finals appearance as anyone.
How are they looking at the guard spots? No Jrue Holiday or Damian Lillard?
Three very sold PGs and two very solid shooting guards next to them. Not flashy but could be enough to carry them to the East finals assuming health.
I’ll take a look on roster resource and look at their lineup and bench, etc….
Ok solid enough and with depth. If they play as they should the backcourt should be fine in Milwaukee.
Even if he leaves eventually—not saying that’s likely—it was never going to happen this summer. A literal 0% chance. It’s as forced of a storyline as I can remember in recent years. And this headline is just the cherry on top.
No, I never said Giannis is leaving this summer. That was never going to happen because of how tight the market it is and how capped many teams are.
Dec 15 and later, on the other hand, very likely.
in your fantasy, maybe… in reality Giannis is going nowhere… not now, not December 15, not February 15.
@ShaqFoo so what will you do when you are proven wrong? Delete your account? Admit I know what I am talking about?
What does this mean? What constitutes being proven wrong? That Giannis will be traded this year? or ever? or to the Warriors?
If he ends up being traded anywhere this season, I will say i was wrong. what’s so hard about that?
what are you so triggered by?
Triggered? That’s not what this is. You keep replying to me saying I am living in a fantasy world, what else I am I supposed to do?
You think everything revolves around the Warriors… which you obviously play up for attention.
It’s been obvious for a while that GA isn’t being traded yet you double down on him getting traded by December because the Bucks will be under 500.. (nothing is impossible, but it’s unlikely without GA completely losing it or being injured) but ‘if I’m wrong I should delete my account’… dramatic much? 😆
Well seeing as you go to all this trouble to “own” my take and argue with me, you are the one raising the stakes here. You could just mute or ignore me and move on. There are no winners and losers when everyone is anonymous, that’s why its great here.
So responding to you is “raising the stakes”… is this your view when you don’t get the last word..? I’d argue against the view that Davey must go unchallenged and calling ppl to ‘delete their account if I am right’ is more juvenile nonsense that comes from pushback to some of your out on a limb stuff. But you do you.
lol. agreed shaqfoo. but for a nothing burger headline, this one got a lot more posts than normal for some reason.
Thansis the real mvp
Just putting off the inevitable. The Bucks aren’t winning anything with that roster and they don’t have the pieces to make the roster a contender.
The best they can hope for is the 2nd round and that’s assuming Giannis goes off in the first round but most likely another first round exit.
Exactly DDC, you see the forest from the trees, while so many scared crybabies on here cannot handle the truth that Giannis and the Bucks are headed in different directions, and the Warriors have the pieces to get him now…only a matter of time, and that time is sometime after December 15.
Again, this is purely your fantasy… thinking the Bucks are a reach to win a 1st rd playoff series is nuts. It means you don’t think much of Giannis.
Better watch it he will mute you for saying that. Don’t take it as a bad thing because he muted me for saying that.
and I unmuted you and now you are unmuted you are breaking TOS by talking about me, a single poster, not actual NBA. SMH stop focusing on me, just let me have my takes and move on.
You understand I only mute people who are openly trolling and abusing me and breaking TOS, right? If you cannot argue against my points without resulting to personal attacks (“youre stupid” etc) then you get muted. Simple. Talk NBA hoops rumors, not individual posters, or shut up.
Quick note I never attacked Davey he attacked me for not agreeing with him. He said a lot of bullying tactics and when I said he need to apologize for it he muted me. He was the one with personal attacks. davey is not worth your time just better to ignore.
@arc89 nope, that is untrue. you disagreed with me, then attacked me and played victim, like you are doing now. You attacked me first, not the other way around. Then you did ganging up with Gary on me. That’s why I muted you both. I unmuted you both to try and be nice, but I guess you love crying that I muted you more than talking hoops on here? It’s an anonymous comments section, its not that serious. It’s idiotic to hold grudges when everyone is anonymous, get over it.
I’m not a liberal. I’ve never muted anyone on here.
I do. But you see how they treat me? It’s warranted. Not worth my time.
That was a response to DDC.
Besides, do you think someone muting me here will upset me?! Come on.
Davey is so funny! People ganging up on him. He is so twisted
@arc89 like you are literally doing right now?
@arc89 do you ever post basketball takes on here anymore? or do you just cry about other posters?
The Bucks haven’t been out of the first round since 21-22. I don’t see how it’s a reach that they won’t make it out of first round again this season.
I don’t think there are any clear standout teams in the East. We saw the top 2 seeds go down in the playoffs last szn. So to me, the Bucks have as good a shot of making a deep run as anyone else, especially if you have a high opinion of Giannis.
Seems to me that dismissive views of the 25/26 Bucks can only be because you don’t think much of Giannis.
there is 3 elite east teams in Cavs, Knicks, and magic. All the rest are around .500 teams depending on which team can stay injury free.
Orlando won 41 games this season, so I’m not calling a top 3 “elite” team just yet.
But again suggesting that the Bucks are a 500 team with a healthy Giannis is clearly saying you see a diminished Giannis… and I see no reason for that to happen.
After the Cavs and Knicks, the rest of the EC is wide open, but the Bucks should be as competitive as any of that next group imo. I see no reason for them not to win 50 again.
Magic traded for Bane who is a good 3rd option on that team. Also they had a lot of injuries last season and still made the playoffs.
Orlando had its big 2 injured for 58 games last year and then replaced KCP with Desmond Bane, a superior player. Orlando absolutely is an elite team and a way better one, 1-10, than the Bucks are.
You appear to be super high on Milwaukee running out a Rollins-Green-Kuzma-Giannis-Turner starting lineup with a second string of Porter-Anthony-Trent-Prince-Portis – any reason why? To me, that says “bad team”.
I don’t see Rollins/Green/Kuzma getting starter minutes, but we’ll see.
I see the Anthony, Trent, Prince, GA, Turner lineup as capable of doing just fine.
Ok but few outside of Milwaukee agree with you. I respect your opinion though. I don’t agree but it’s not wrong to think if all these guys play to career years, the Bucks can finish top 6. But that is too much to ask imo. Those other 9 guys do not form a good team around GA.
Giannis was always going to stay in Milwaukee this summer. There was nothing indicating he was going to leave.
December 15 is D-day. We shall see. If the Bucks are under .500 on Dec 15, Giannis will ask to be traded.
If you are suggesting that the Bucks will be under .500 at any point of the next szn after the first week, that would mean you don’t think much of Giannis.
It’s a team sport. Giannis can be elite and the team can be bad. He has no help. You are literaly arguing Kyle Kuzma is going to be on a good team…lol
Who is the Bucks PG again? Ryan Rollins? LMAO
Nominally Cole Anthony, but Giannis will play point a lot. The Bucks have a lot of size and will be very tough to guard. The idea that this could be a 500 or “bad” team with this roster is pretty laughable. Are you going to ‘delete your account’ if the Bucks are not under 500 with a healthy Giannis this season (playing at least 60 games)?
Im never deleting my account over any take, its not that serious on here. I am not the guy losing my mind over the concept of Giannis on the Warriors – those are the ones raising the stakes on these low-level convos on here, not me.
Just you guys see when Durant gets traded for Butler 1on1 the Warriors will be back in the championship round. -Davey J 2025
Oh wait this train already left? So its Giannis now and not Durant?
Is Porter JR off the team? why does anyone think Rollins is the starter? Porter didn’t start last year because he was a mid season acquisition. With a full training camp, he is the starter, far superior in both talent and experience.
FWIW Hoopshype has Rollins as the starter (I dont make stuff up out of thin air, its always said by multiple people, like Shams, before I say it)
link to hoopshype.com
FWIW? Who dis? And Shams is garbage. Particularly when it comes to Milwaukee. He’s proven that over and over again reporting on Giannis. Only to be contradicted by Giannis himself… even before he mashes his reports…. He just reports the opposite of what Giannis has maintained without wavering.., he’s not asking out of Milwaukee. None of his sources have been in Milwaukee’s organization.
They definitely have it wrong. These “experts” don’t care enough about MKE to have a clue about their depth chart. Rollins with be PG3 at seasons start barring injury.
If, by some freak of logic from Rivers, he starts, his usage at the position with still be PG3 behind Porter Jr and Anthony. Possibly even 4th behind Trent Jr.
Charania getting his clickbait again. What a d!k. Giannis isn’t exploring options, Shams just keeps doubling down on this BS false narrative.
Writers with no info, insight or clue clickbaiting headlines on Giannis. Cut it out.