Giannis Antetokounmpo: "He deserves to leave" - NBA fans predict Giannis Antetokounmpo's departure from Bucks with meeting on future reportedly set for offseason

The Milwaukee Bucks will enter the offseason sooner than they expected following a first-round exit versus the Indiana Pacers. In the Game 5 closeout on Tuesday, Indiana won 119-118 to advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Coming off a third consecutive first-round exit, many have raised concerns over Giannis Antetokounmpo's future in Milwaukee. He is under contract through the 2026-27 season, but he and the team have set up a meeting to discuss the future, according to ESPN's Shams Charania.

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Fans reacted to the news on X.

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"He deserves to leave lmao," one commented.

"Thankfully he's leaving that team. The fans are terrible and the organization is just not that good. It's time he goes somewhere else with better fans," another wrote.

"He is getting traded. Thank god, he deserves better," one said.

Others predicted potential landing spots for the nine-time All-Star.

"He's a Warrior, trust," one fan tweeted.

"Get him to a real team like the Lakers," another fan commented.

"(Karl-Anthony Towns), (Mikal Bridges) and two firsts. Who says no?" a fan wrote.

Giannis Antetokounmpo shines in elimination game

Despite a heartbreaking loss, Giannis Antetokounmpo gave the Bucks everything he had in the absence of Damian Lillard. He was left to lead Milwaukee following Lillard's Achilles tear in Game 4 on Sunday.

Looking to avoid elimination, Antetokounmpo attempted to carry the Bucks to a win and extend the series. He shined in the loss, finishing as the game's second-leading scorer with 30 points on 9 of 17 shooting. He connected on one of his two 3-point attempts, grabbed 20 rebounds and dished out 13 assists, with two steals and two blocks.

Even with a 17-point lead midway through the second quarter, Indiana stormed back in the second half, ultimately forcing overtime. The Pacers took down the Bucks to advance to the semifinals, where they'll face the No. 1-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers.

About the author

Ethen Hutton is an analyst who works for Sportskeeda, covering College Football, the NFL, the NBA and the WNBA. Ethen graduated high school with academic and athletic honors and is a member of the National High School Honors Society. After a gap year, Ethen jumped into sports writing and has over two years of experience in the field.

Ethen was raised in Ohio and is a Cleveland Cavaliers fan. His favorite all-time player is Pete Maravich as his shooting and ball-handling abilities were way ahead of his time. His favorite player in today’s NBA is Nikola Jokic due to his fascinating skillset as a big man.

Ethen loves the storylines around the NBA and the chaos that the offseason and trade deadlines bring. He enjoys technical deep dives with strong statistical analysis as well as stories where he's able to take a stance as an analyst. He is very prideful in the correctness of his work and will do extensive research to ensure all facts and evidence are 100% accurate.

When not working, Ethen enjoys recording his sports podcast, Wide Right. He is also a very invested fantasy football player.

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Edited by Victor Ramon Galvez