Giannis Antetokounmpo is once again a committed Milwaukee Buck. For now.

“I’m committed to the people that I work with, my teammates, the coaching staff, Coach Doc [Rivers] and [general manager] Jon [Horst] in the front office. What I’ve said from the beginning of this year is that, out of my mouth and the way I’ve carried myself, you will never hear me say, ‘I don’t want to be a Milwaukee Buck,’” Antetokounmpo told ESPN in an interview.

While it’s true that Antetokounmpo has never said he wants to book a one-way ticket out of Milwaukee, he has hinted at it.

The Greek Freak told The Athletic last month that he’d never ask for a trade from the Bucks before using a colorful analogy to explain that his feelings about his basketball home could change.

ESPN also reported ahead of the February 5 trade deadline that Antetokounmpo had been ready to play his home games outside of Wisconsin for months, and that the Bucks had listened to offers for one of the best players of his generation. Both sides are expected to re-examine a possible trade this offseason, ESPN reported.

Even when he reiterated his commitment to the Bucks in his most recent interview, Antetokounmpo couldn’t help but openly share old dreams of ending up with other suitors.

He also admitted to wondering how he’d fit with recent NBA champions like the Boston Celtics and the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Winning has always seemed to be the motivation for Antetokounmpo’s wandering eye. The Bucks acquired Jrue Holiday in November 2020 after a couple of embarrassing postseason collapses that sparked concerns that Antetokounmpo would leave Milwaukee instead of signing a supermax. Milwaukee then flipped Holiday for Damian Lillard two years after winning a championship, following Antetokounmpo’s declaration that he wouldn’t sign an extension until he knew the team was committed to winning another title. (Field Level Media / Reuters)