The Milwaukee Bucks have a new pitch to try to keep Giannis Antetokounmpo from requesting a trade—stay and compete in a wide-open Eastern Conference because the Jayson Tatum injury took out one of the biggest threats. With Tatum likely sidelined for most of next year after rupturing his Achilles, the conference is wide open.
Marc Stein of The Stein Line reported that this was a big part of the Bucks’ pitch to keep him around: “Word is that the Bucks are trying to build a good bit of their case for convincing Antetokounmpo to give them another shot to build a title team around him by loudly reminding him about the current state of the Eastern Conference.” Tatum's injury completely changes the state of the East.
But will that be enough to sway Antetokounmpo?
What does the East look like without Tatum leading the Celtics?
First and foremost, the two teams in the current Eastern Conference finals will almost certainly still be intact next season—the New York Knicks and Indiana Pacers. And one of those teams, the Pacers, is the squad that has eliminated the Bucks in the first round of the playoffs in each of the last two seasons.
On top of that, while Tatum won’t be leading the way, the Celtics should still be able to field a relatively competitive roster with Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, and Payton Pritchard leading the charge.
Then there are the up-and-coming teams like the Orlando Magic and Detroit Pistons, and that’s without even mentioning the conference-leading Cleveland Cavaliers, who will undoubtedly be either retooling or running it back with the same roster.
That said, there is no longer a clear-cut favorite in the East. With the Celtics and Cavs’ early exits, it's anybody’s game. So, if Antetokounmpo sticks around, perhaps the Bucks could string together a roster that could make it back to the Finals.
Why that’s a flawed plan for Giannis
Unfortunately for Antetokounmpo, that’s what the plan has been for the last four seasons since the Bucks won a championship. They’ve been desperately trying to piece together a quality roster around him in a relatively open conference.
And ever since the Jrue Holiday trade, nothing has gone their way. Damian Lillard hasn’t had the best chemistry with Antetokounmpo (and now he’s hurt), the Adrian Griffin hire was a mess, Doc Rivers hasn’t been amazing, and moving Khris Middleton for Kyle Kuzma was a brutal trade.
A weak Eastern Conference is well and good, but at this point, Antetokounmpo might simply be better off in the hands of a different organization. The Bucks just haven’t done a good enough job of building a contender around him since the championship.
