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It’s starting to sound like Giannis Antetokounmpo is ready to rip off the band-aid.
After the Bucks were smashed, 122-102, by the dominant Thunder, Antetokounmpo called out his teammates with an ominous message that may say quite a bit about his future with the team.
“We’re not playing hard,” Antetokounmpo said postgame after Milwaukee fell to 18-25. “We’re not playing to win. We’re not playing together … Our chemistry isn’t there, guys are being selfish. We just don’t get it … and we don’t have enough time.”
It’s not clear exactly who Antetokounmpo is referring to or whether this is simply a blanket statement by the former league MVP, but the comments certainly aren’t what the team wants to hear, given he has flirted with the idea of demanding a trade multiple times over the past year.
Antetokounmpo added that some of his teammates were “trying to look for their own shots instead of looking for the right shot for the team.”
The Bucks shot 49 percent Wednesday, but turned the ball over 16 times compared to just eight for the Thunder.
Former Laker Kyle Kuzma went 4-12 and 0-5 from 3-point range in 28 minutes.
“At times, I feel like when we’re down 10, down 15, down 20, we try to make it up in one play, and it’s not going to work,” Antetokounmpo added.
It seems like the wheels are in motion for a potential divorce amid all the trade rumors, although he dismissed the idea of asking out earlier this month.
“There will never be a chance, and there will never be a moment that I will come out and say, ‘I want a trade,’ ” Antetokounmpo told The Athletic. “That’s not … in … my … nature. OK?”
When trades were discussed previously involving Antetokounmpo, it became clear that he wanted to be a Knick.
Perhaps the team wishes they had made the deal to acquire Antetokounmpo given the team’s 3-9 record in its last 12 games and the still-present growing pains under new coach Mike Brown.
Star center Karl-Anthony Towns is in the middle of the worst season of his NBA career, where he is averaging 20.8 points per game, the lowest since his rookie year, and shooting just 46.9 percent from the field, by far the lowest percentage of his career.
Antetokounmpo hasn’t formally demanded a trade at any point, but reporter Brian Windhorst previously added some clarity on what a trade demand would look like.
“It’ll be Giannis instructing the Bucks where he wants to be traded and the Bucks trying to make the best possible deal with that team,” Windhorst said on ESPN’s “Get Up” in December.
Windhorst added that this past summer, Antetokounmpo basically said, “I want to be a Knick,” but it didn’t quite reach a trade demand.
The Bucks are currently the No. 11 seed in the NBA Eastern Conference and aim to right the ship before the season gets completely away from them.
The NBA trade deadline is Feb. 5.