Giannis Antetokounmpo has announced on social media that he has reached an agreement to extend his contract with the Milwaukee Bucks.
Giannis Antetokounmpo shared a message on social media on Monday, expressing his excitement for the future with the Milwaukee Bucks. The post coincided with ESPN’s report on his contract extension, which is valued at $186 million over three years, including a player option for the 2027-28 season.
The Bucks did not release an official statement, but they shared Antetokounmpo’s post on X, the social media platform previously referred to as Twitter. The Bucks’ shared the post with the caption, “A great remedy for Monday blues.”
Antetokounmpo’s announcement came as Minnesota’s Jaden McDaniels, Washington’s Deni Avdija and Orlando’s Cole Anthony led the first wave of fourth-year players to reach agreements on contract extensions ahead of the NBA’s deadline.
Antetokounmpo had previously stated that he had no intention of signing an extension this year. He believed it would be more financially advantageous for him to wait until the summer. Additionally, he expressed his desire to assess the Bucks’ dedication to winning another championship before committing to an extension. At that time, his contract was set to expire in 2024-25 with a player option for 2025-26.
Afterwards, the Bucks executed a significant trade to obtain Damian Lillard, a highly accomplished guard who has been selected for the all-NBA team seven times, from the Portland Trail Blazers. Despite this trade, Antetokounmpo had expressed that he did not anticipate signing a contract extension in the current year.
“I mentioned that signing the contract at this moment doesn’t seem logical as having a substantial amount of money is crucial. Therefore, I plan to sign it next year,” Antetokounmpo chuckled while speaking at the Bucks’ Media Day on October 2. “However, ultimately, it doesn’t seem sensible to sign it now. I always need to consider what is most beneficial for me, my family, and my current circumstances.”
“At the conclusion of each day, my ultimate desire is to remain a member of the Milwaukee Bucks for the entirety of my professional journey, provided that we continue to achieve success. It is as straightforward as that.”
The extension starts with the 2025-26 season, meaning Antetokounmpo is under contract for at least four more years — and a fifth if he’s so inclined. He will earn about $94.4 million over the next two seasons, then about $120 million more for the 2025-26 and 2026-27 seasons.
He has the choice to select the final year, which could result in an additional earning of approximately $66 million in 2027-28.
If Antetokounmpo had chosen to delay his extension until the following summer, he might have been able to earn even more money. However, I cannot reword the math formula mentioned in the text.
Agent Bill Duffy has confirmed that McDaniels and the Timberwolves have reached an agreement on a five-year contract extension worth $136 million. McDaniels, who was the 28th overall pick in the 2020 draft and joined Minnesota alongside Anthony Edwards, had an impressive third season, averaging 12.1 points per game with a shooting percentage of 51.7%.
The Timberwolves have three players, Edwards, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Rudy Gobert, who are under maximum contracts. This puts the team in the luxury tax range based on their salary cap. However, McDaniels, who stands at 6-foot-9, is considered the team’s top defender and one of the league’s top shutdown wings. The Timberwolves also believe that he has untapped offensive skills that can complement his defensive abilities.
“At the start of training camp, McDaniels expressed his confidence, stating that he could easily achieve a score of 25 points per game.”
The Timberwolves open their season at Toronto on Wednesday. McDaniels currently has a calf injury, putting his status for the game in doubt.
According to an anonymous source, Avdija has agreed to a contract extension worth $55 million over four years with the Wizards. The team has not officially announced the agreement yet. Avdija, who is 22 years old, had a successful season last year, starting in 40 games and averaging 9.2 points and 6.4 rebounds. He was drafted by Washington in the first round of the 2020 draft.
Avdija is somewhat remarkably the longest-tenured player on the Wizards. They traded Bradley Beal to Phoenix in the offseason and enter 2023-24 with a significantly different roster. Avdija, a 6-foot-9 forward from Israel, has averaged 8.1 points in 212 career games since the Wizards made him the ninth overall pick in the 2020 draft.
Anthony and the Magic have reached an agreement on a contract extension worth $39 million over three years. The team made the announcement on Monday. Anthony, who is the son of former NBA player Greg Anthony, was selected as the 15th overall pick in the 2020 draft.
The point guard missed more than a month last season with an oblique muscle injury and saw his scoring average drop by more than three points per game. After starting all 65 games he played in during the 2021-22 season with Markelle Fultz sidelined by injury, Anthony returned to a role off the bench once Fultz was back in the starting lineup.
However, Anthony achieved his personal best shooting percentage of 45.4% from the field, with an additional 36.4% from 3-point range, and managed to decrease his turnovers by an average of over one per game.
The San Antonio Spurs have recently announced that they have extended the contract of center Zach Collins for multiple years. Collins, who was selected as the 10th overall pick in the 2017 draft, achieved his highest career average of 11.6 points per game during the previous season.
The Atlanta Hawks have agreed to a four-year contract extension with forward-center Onyeka Okongwu, worth $62 million.
Okongwu has started in 28 of 178 career games, averaging 7.9 points and 5.7 rebounds. He could play a larger role this season, following the trade of power forward John Collins to Utah.
After exercising the fourth-year contract option on forward Jalen Johnson and the third-year option on guard AJ Griffin, the team finalized the deal with Okongwu.
Josh Green and the Dallas Mavericks have reached a three-year contract extension worth $41 million. This agreement follows Green’s most successful season as a guard.
News of the deal comes two days before the Mavericks open the regular season in San Antonio, with Green set to see how he fits with a retooled roster around stars Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.
Green, who was selected in the first round of the 2020 draft, has been a valuable asset coming off the bench, showcasing his energy and athleticism. He has made a greater impact in the 2022-23 season compared to his first two seasons as an Australian player.
Green, who turns 23 next month, missed 20 games with a right elbow sprain last season but still started a career-high 21 games while averaging 9.1 points and 3.0 rebounds.
