Milwaukee Bucks general manager Jon Horst called the move to trade Giannis Antetokounmpo a “very difficult decision,” but he added that it was a transition that was in the best interest of both the Bucks and Antetokounmpo.
“No one’s sitting here today and saying that we’re a better team today after trading Giannis,” Horst mentioned during a conference call with reporters Wednesday. “He’s one of the greatest players to ever play, greatest player in the franchise history. We’ve had an incredible amount of success.
“For us, it was just about the opportunity to build and to again, set a foundation. Can we set something in place with a new coach and take advantage of an opportunity to truly build from a place of strength on a roster that hopefully makes our city proud, our franchise proud and gets us to the place where we are competitive? And we can sustain that competition and that competitive level year in and year out.”
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It has been two weeks since Milwaukee agreed to trade Antetokounmpo to the Miami Heat for a package that included four players, three first-round draft picks, a pick swap and a second-round pick. Horst mentioned he chose Miami’s package because of the added flexibility the draft capital and the ages of the players gave the Bucks going forward as they try to establish a new foundation after 13 years with Antetokounmpo on their roster.
And although he mentioned the end of Antetokounmpo’s tenure presented him with a “wide range of emotions,” he mentioned he is optimistic about building a new future in Milwaukee.
“There is a sense of excitement because it’s a different challenge,” Horst mentioned. “It’s something new.
“I get excited about trying to put pieces together. We’ve got a lot of work to do.
“And if there’s any sense of peace, it’s that I think Giannis is in a similar situation,” he mentioned. “It’s different. A different set of circumstances. But he’s in a place that he’s got a real opportunity to do the things that he wants to do.”
Antetokounmpo had been adamant for years that he wanted to compete for a second NBA championship, yet the Bucks were struggling to turn themselves into a contender again. Milwaukee went 32-50 this past season and missed the playoffs for the first time in nine years.
In the offseason, the Bucks replaced coach Doc Rivers with Taylor Jenkins. Yet Horst denied feeling any pressure that the team was forced to trade Antetokounmpo this summer.
“This was not a ‘have to,'” Horst mentioned. “This was, we truly believed we’ve found an opportunity which is unique. We might be right. We might be wrong. But an opportunity where this is what’s best for him and what he wants to pursue going forward, and this is what’s best for us and what we want to pursue going forward. And that’s why we made the decision.
“Ultimately, the only thing that mattered to us organizationally was to work to try to find a trade — if we were going to do a trade — to try to find a trade that we thought gave us the best path forward. And if we could do that and have it be a great opportunity for him, we would execute that.”
