Ex Bucks star posts clarification about Giannis Antetokounmpo's offseason exit meeting

Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks bowed out early in their 2025 NBA playoffs campaign, losing to the Indiana Pacers in the first round in just five games. It was the third straight year the Bucks have bounced out of the playoffs in the opening round, four years after their breakthrough championship in 2021.

With the Bucks’ early playoff exit, the team is expected to meet with Antetokounmpo to discuss his future and the team’s plans following another disappointing playoff run, according to ESPN insider Shams Charania.

Former Bucks star Brandon Jennings offered his two cents following Charania’s news, saying that it is normal for the team to do this with their star player, especially after a long season run.

“Yea it’s called an exit meeting,” he wrote on X on Wednesday.

An exit meeting is considered a norm around the NBA as it allows organizations to talk with their players and coaches about the season and their plans for the upcoming year.

It was an up-and-down season for the Bucks. The team struggled early before getting their groove just in time to win the NBA Cup early in the regular season. They again hovered at the middle of the pack in the Eastern Conference for most of the year before finishing the season as the fifth seed with a 48-34 record.

They faced the Pacers in the first round but suffered numerous injuries in their roster, including star guard Damian Lillard, who did not play in the first game of the series and later tore his Achilles in Game 4.

Giannis carried the load for the Bucks throughout the year, averaging 30.4 points, 11.9 rebounds and 6.5 assists per game during the regular season to have another MVP-caliber year.

Giannis Antetokounmpo declines to talk about future in Milwaukee

With another early exit in the playoffs for the Bucks, rumblings about Giannis Antetokounmp's future with the team are slowly ramping up. However, the one-time champion and former two-time MVP declined to talk about it after their Game 5 loss to the Pacers.

“I'm not going to do this,” he said. “Whatever I say, I know how it's going to translate. I wish I was still playing. I wish I was still competing and going back out there.”

Next year, Giannis will enter his three-year max extension worth over $175 million, which could make him stay with the Bucks until the 2027-2028 season, according to Sportrac.

However, with his history of being laser-focused on winning, Giannis’ discontentment with the Bucks’ early exits could spark a blockbuster trade.