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Toronto Sun
3 days ago
- Sport
- Toronto Sun
Giannis Antetokounmpo to the Raptors? Breaking down likelihood of blockbuster deal for Bucks star
Explaining the whys, why nots and the possibilities of a mega-move. Get the latest from Ryan Wolstat straight to your inbox Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo pumps his fist during a game in April. AP Photo The Giannis Antetokounmpo-to-Toronto trade rumours are in their 12th year and might not die down until the phenom either plays for the Raptors or retires. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Back in 2013, Masai Ujiri, then freshly installed as the boss of the Raptors, had more interest in the rail-thin, ultra-raw, but ultra-intriguing teenager than nearly any other team executive, but couldn't close a deal to get into the draft to select him in the late lottery. Antetokounmpo kept growing, kept getting better and ultimately led the Milwaukee Bucks to a title while wining a pair of NBA MVP awards and nearly every other award you could think of. Toronto has tried to keep its powder dry on at least a couple of occasions salary cap-wise when Antetokounmpo was approaching free agency, only to see the Bucks twice sign him to new deals. But now Milwaukee is in bad shape, competitively speaking. Antetokounmpo's running mate, fellow NBA 75th Anniversary Team member Damian Lillard, will soon turn 35 and just tore his Achilles. The team doesn't have a good enough roster to make any noise, lacking prospects and draft picks, so the speculation is the extremely competitive Antetokounmpo and the franchise will be heading for a split at some point as he chases another championship. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Well-respected ESPN reporter Brian Windhorst caused a stir this weekend when he said on his Hoop Collective Podcast that Toronto is looking to make a major move this off-season and is trying to land a 'big fish.' Should the Raptors go all-in for a superstar this summer? 👀 On a recent episode of The Hoop Collective, ESPN's @WindhorstESPN said he's heard the Raptors are expected to be in the mix for major names this offseason. (via @espn) — TSN (@TSN_Sports) June 1, 2025 Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Windhorst said: 'There are some teams that sniff the ability to make a move and I think Toronto is one of those teams. And so naturally, any team that wants to make a move this summer, especially a team in the Eastern Conference, you're going to have Giannis on the board. 'But Toronto, from their initial conversations, teams in the league are getting the impression that Toronto is going to try and do something. I had an executive tell me yesterday that he thinks this could be an explosive summer.' Let's break it all down: WHY GIANNIS? Let's keep this short. He just finished third in MVP voting (the third time that has happened and he also has been fourth twice in addition to his two wins), is at worst the fourth-best player in the league and is the most dominant athletic force since prime Shaquille O'Neal or LeBron James. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. He also is under contract for two more seasons with a player option on a third. He'd be the best player in franchise history, with apologies to Kawhi Leonard, and has shown no signs of slippage in his play. With Jayson Tatum probably out all next season and Boston looking to cut its payroll, the East is pretty wide open. Cleveland should be excellent again, finalist Indiana can bring its squad back and New York should be able to as well, but with Antetokounmpo, Toronto would be in the mix to win multiple playoff rounds. That's a lot better than missing the playoffs in four of the past five seasons as Toronto has done. WHAT WOULD IT TAKE? Raptors fans can daydream all they like that a deal could be made for Giannis that wouldn't include all-star forward Scottie Barnes, but it's non-sensical for the Bucks to accept one without him. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Toronto falling to No. 9 from No. 7 lowered the value of this year's first-round pick. Had they leapt into the Top 4 maybe there was a small chance of a non-Barnes package being enough, but that ship has sailed. Why would Milwaukee consider something like No. 9, Toronto's 2026 first (keeping in mind Giannis and Barnes and whatever else is left would form a strong team in the weak Eastern Conference, meaning that pick would be somewhere around 17-22), swap rights in 2027 (unlikely to convey since the Bucks will probably be worse than Toronto), 2028 first (still not a high pick if Giannis is around), 2029 swap option and Toronto's 2030 first plus prospects like Ja'Kobe Walter, Gradey Dick and the players on lucrative deals required to make the money work (two of RJ Barrett, Jakob Poeltl or Immanuel Quickley)? This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Toronto would need Quickley's shooting to make a Giannis/Barnes pairing work, anyway. So, it would have to be something like Barnes, Walter or Dick, Barrett or Poeltl or Quickley and multiple first-round picks going the other way. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Even if Toronto surrendered Barnes, Milwaukee still could receive better offers. Any team would love to have an all-time great who is still dominant on both ends of the floor. Surely someone would dangle even more enticing options. We've floated previously teams like Houston, Orlando, San Antonio (Dylan Harper or Stephon Castle and picks, anyone?) and maybe New Orleans (owners of plenty of future Milwaukee picks from the Jrue Holiday deal) as potentially having better ammunition to close a deal. Even if Barnes would be a better headliner than anything they could offer (unless Orlando says Paolo Banchero or maybe Franz Wagner are available), the other teams can offer far better future first-round picks than Toronto can. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Toronto would have to bank on Antetokounmpo pressuring Milwaukee to keep him in the East (since it would give him a far better shot of going deep in the playoffs in multiple seasons), specifically wanting to play for the Raptors and for the Bucks honouring those wishes out of deference to the best player in franchise history WHY IS EVERYONE TALKING ABOUT THIS RIGHT NOW? Insiders have speculated that there is going to be lots of trade action this off-season due to the restrictive new CBA, major injuries and unhappy stars and/or owners. The Windhorst report on an extremely popular podcast threw gas on the fire and Vegas is starting to take note. Read More This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. According to odds on the Raptors landing Giannis have plunged from 25-1 to 2-1 over the past two weeks, suggesting that where there's smoke, there is at least some fire regarding the rumours. Those odds doesn't mean he's on his way to Toronto, but heavily suggest there is some interest in it happening. Similar things popped up in the days before Leonard landing with the Raptors. Plus, there's the fact Ujiri is entering the last year of his latest deal and has presided over a free-falling organization since the year after the championship. They waited too long to acquire a centre (Poeltl) and then later to trade Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby, saw Fred VanVleet walk, possibly overpaid on Quickley's new contract based on a dire need for pull-up three-point shooting and are coming off the longest stretch without success in years. Things have been turning around, led by Barnes and a promising 2024 draft class, but with Rogers set to become sole owner and Sportsnet reporting season ticket sales down, Ujiri might feel a bigger need than ever to make a huge splash. @WolstatSun Olympics Sunshine Girls Celebrity News Columnists
Indian Express
22-05-2025
- Sport
- Indian Express
Who is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, man who beat Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo to NBA MVP title
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was voted as the NBA regular-season MVP on Wednesday night, beating former MVP-winning superstars like Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo. Gilgeous-Alexander winning the MVP title means that for the seven consecutive year, a player born outside the US — extending the longest such streak in league history — has now been awarded the title of the best player in the league in regular season. The NBA race for the MVP title came down to two players: Gilgeous-Alexander earned 71 first-place votes and 29 second-place votes while Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic got the other 29 first-place votes and the other 71 second-place votes. Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo was third, getting 88 of the 100 possible third-place votes. Gilgeous-Alexander got 913 points overall from a panel of 100 voters — The award is voted on by media members — while Jokic had 787 points. Boston's Jayson Tatum was fourth behind Antetokounmpo, and Cleveland's Donovan Mitchell finished fifth. A global media panel of 100 voters selected the winner of the 2024-25 Kia NBA Most Valuable Player Award. The complete voting results ⬇️ — NBA Communications (@NBAPR) May 21, 2025 The ceremony was held at the ION facility where Thunder practice. He was surrounded by all of his teammates and his family. He will receive the trophy on the court before Game 2 of the Western Conference finals against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday. But before that ceremony in front of the world, he gave a tearful MVP award speech on Wednesday night where he thanked his wife, Hailey Summers, for her role in his career. 'Thank you so much,' he said as he looked at Summers from the podium. 'Thank you for everything you are — for me, for our son, Ares. You were the first person to show me what love really meant … what sacrifice really meant. And I can't wait to spend the rest of this journey called life with you. Thank you very much. I wouldn't be the man I am, I wouldn't be the player I am, I wouldn't be the father I am, without you. Thank you.' So who is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander? This season, Gilgeous-Alexander has averaged 32.7 points (where he was the league leader), 6.4 assists and five rebounds per game. Thanks to him leading from the front, the Thunder accrued a 68-14 record in regular season. He also ended the regular season as the league leader in averages for free-throw attempts (7.9) and shot attempts (21.8). As noted by The Associated Press, thanks to him, Thunder outscored teams by 12.9 points per game this season, the biggest margin in league history. Oklahoma City had a franchise-record 68 victories and ended as the top seed in the Western Conference for the second consecutive season. Gilgeous-Alexander becomes the second Canadian to win MVP after Steve Nash, who claimed the honour twice. Gilgeous-Alexander was the No 11 pick in the 2018 NBA draft. He was picked up by the Los Angeles Clippers. In those early days, the 20-year-old used to travel to training games by Uber or with help from teammates who could drive because he just had a learner's permit. After that rookie season, he was traded — much to his own surprise — to Oklahoma City Thunder. His early seasons at the OKC franchise saw the team being in a rebuilding phase: they won just 46 games from 2020 to 2022.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Celtics' Jayson Tatum is the latest of many star athletes who've torn an Achilles tendon
Milwaukee Bucks' Damian Lillard grimaces as he falls to the floor against the Indiana Pacers during the first half of Game 4 of a first-round NBA basketball playoff series Sunday, April 27, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps) Milwaukee Bucks' Damian Lillard grimaces as he falls to the floor against the Indiana Pacers during the first half of Game 4 of a first-round NBA basketball playoff series Sunday, April 27, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps) The diagnosis of a torn Achilles tendon for All-Star forward Jayson Tatum is a devastating blow to the defending champion Boston Celtics and the second injury of its kind during the NBA playoffs. Seven-time all-NBA guard Damian Lillard of the Milwaukee Bucks tore his left Achilles tendon during a loss to the Indiana Pacers on April 28. Advertisement The 27-year-old Tatum tore his right Achilles tendon on Monday night against the New York Knicks when he lunged toward a loose ball and his leg gave out. He buried his face in a towel in obvious pain while grabbing at his leg above the ankle after the non-contact injury. The Knicks won 121-113 to take a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinals. The series resumes Wednesday in Boston with the Celtics needing to win to stay alive in the playoffs. Other notable athletes who have come back from a torn Achilles tendon: Aaron Rodgers The four-time NFL MVP tore his left Achilles tendon on Sept. 11, 2023, four snaps into his first year with the New York Jets. He was hurt as he tried to avoid a rushing Leonard Floyd, who wrapped up the quarterback and spun him down to the MetLife Stadium turf. Rodgers, 39 at the time, returned to practice in an astonishing 77 days after surgery but did not play again until Sept. 9, 2024. The Jets released him in March, and he's undecided on playing in 2025. Advertisement Kobe Bryant The late Basketball Hall of Famer tore an Achilles tendon on April 12, 2013, had surgery the next day and returned to the court with the Los Angeles Lakers on Dec. 8, 2013, at age 35. Bryant played only six games before a knee injury forced him to miss the rest of the season. Bryant averaged 22.3 points in only 35 games in 2014-15 and 17.6 points in 66 games in his last season in 2015-16. Kevin Durant The two-time NBA Finals MVP tore an Achilles tendon on June 13, 2019, playing for Golden State in Game 4 of the championship round. He missed a full season and came back with the Brooklyn Nets on Dec. 22, 2020, at age 32. Durant hasn't played more than 55 games in any season since his return but he's been elite, averaging 28.8 points, 7.1 rebounds and 5.7 assists in three seasons since the injury. Advertisement Dominique Wilkins The Basketball Hall of Famer tore an Achilles tendon on Jan. 28, 1992. He returned to the court with the Atlanta Hawks on Nov. 6, 1992, just two months shy of turning 33. Wilkins averaged 29.9 points in his first season back and played seven more years, including two stints overseas. Brandon Graham The Philadelphia Eagles defensive end tore an Achilles tendon on Sept. 19, 2021, and returned for the season opener Sept. 11, 2022, at age 34. Graham had his best season as a pro last year, posting a career-high 11 sacks. Ryan Howard The 2006 NL MVP tore an Achilles tendon on the final swing of a postseason series on Oct. 7, 2011. Howard returned to the lineup with the Philadelphia Phillies on July 6, 2012, at age 32. The big slugger was never the same, however. Howard averaged 44 homers and 133 RBIs in a six-year span before the injury. He averaged 19/66 over the next five. ___ AP NBA:
Fox Sports
12-05-2025
- Sport
- Fox Sports
Has Giannis Antetokounmpo played his last game for the Bucks?
When Damian Lillard sat on the ground in the middle of a playoff game, grabbing at his left foot, the implications were larger than the heartbreaking reality of a 34-year-old star facing an injury that has been known to alter careers. The torn left Achilles tendon that Lillard suffered in Game 4 of the Milwaukee Bucks' first-round playoff series against Indiana will likely change the franchise's future. Now, with Lillard facing a lengthy rehabilitation and any hopes of the Bucks winning a championship next season all but dashed, the team has to decide what to do with Giannis Antetokounmpo. Is it time to trade him and rebuild? Antetokounmpo, a two-time MVP who led the Bucks to a championship in 2021, told the New York Times in August 2023 that if he didn't believe that "everybody's going for a championship ... I'm not signing [a contract extension]." The following month, the Bucks completed a blockbuster trade for Lillard. And a few weeks later, Antetokounmpo agreed to a three-year, $186 million deal with Milwaukee. Even though last season was a bust, with the Bucks getting eliminated in the first round of the playoffs amid injuries to the team's superstars, hope remained. If they were both healthy, the Bucks could be great. They just needed time to develop more chemistry. And they needed a little luck to both be on the court. Now, there are no what ifs. The Bucks have no chance without Lillard; not with the Cleveland Cavaliers and reigning champion Boston Celtics foaming at the mouth to bring home the Larry O'Brien trophy. So, what's going to come first? Is Antetokounmpo going to request a trade or are the Bucks going to waive the white flag, and use one of the best players in the league as a bartering chip to get some young talent? What's clear is the dam is about to break, with the Bucks being in the untenable position of three straight first-round playoff exits alongside a 30-year-old megastar who has made it clear that his patience is running thin. The Bucks can't remain competitive while waiting out Lillard's return, not with two players on supermax contracts and the Bucks not in a position to rebuild through the draft. It's a shame considering how much Antetokoumnpo has made it clear that he loves Milwaukee, the team that selected him with the 15th overall pick in the 2013 draft and helped transform him from a gangly teenager into a chiseled champion nicknamed "The Greek Freak." It's also a shame for Lillard, who told FOX Sports during training camp in September that last season was "the toughest year of my life." Not only was he adjusting to being traded from a Portland Trail Blazers team with which he had spent his entire 11-season career, but he was also dealing with the mental anguish of a divorce from his wife, with whom he shares three children. This season, Lillard hoped things would be different. He got his body and mind right, pouring himself into a strict training and eating regimen while surrounding himself with family whenever he could. And over the next seven months, it seemed as though he and Antetokoumnpo were finally figuring out how to become the one-two punch the rest of the league feared they could become, clinching the fifth-seed after a shaky start. But their ascent up the Eastern Conference ladder was waylaid by Lillard missing a month with deep vein thrombosis in his right calf. He returned much sooner than expected in Game 2 against the Pacers – but just two games later, he suffered the torn Achilles tendon. "I feel bad for [Lillard]," Bucks coach Doc Rivers told reporters. "The guy tried to come back for his team. This is a tough one: a blood clot followed by this. It's just tough. That's why you have teammates and family around him. He's just a great freaking dude on the basketball level but more important as a teammate, a father and all that stuff. No one deserves it." Now, the Bucks are in a tough position. After winning the title in 2021, they've tried to get back atop the league but have failed. They fired coach Mike Budenholzer after their first-round exit in 2023. They then fired Adrian Griffin after 43 games before hiring Rivers. They traded Jrue Holiday to acquire Lillard. They dealt Khris Middleton for Kyle Kuzma, who has underperformed this postseason. But they've repeatedly fallen flat on their faces, with their 119-118 overtime loss to the Pacers in Game 5 on Tuesday yet again launching them into summer break months before they had hoped. Sure, the Bucks have had some bad breaks. Middleton suffered a knee sprain during the first round of the 2022 playoffs. Antetokounmpo sustained a back injury during the 2023 postseason and was sidelined for the entire 2024 playoffs because of a calf injury. And Lillard missed two playoff games last postseason because of an Achilles tendon injury before this year's devastating blows. It has all led to the Bucks being pushed to the edge. Lillard is out. Antetokounmpo is disillusioned. And the Bucks are going to be forced to make some tough decisions, potentially parting ways with the player who put them on the map. Melissa Rohlin is an NBA writer for FOX Sports. She previously covered the league for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Times, the Bay Area News Group and the San Antonio Express-News. Follow her on Twitter @ melissarohlin . recommended Get more from National Basketball Association Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
Epoch Times
02-05-2025
- Sport
- Epoch Times
Damian Lillard Suffers Season-Ending Torn Achilles in Milwaukee Bucks' Game 4 Defeat
The Milwaukee Bucks' season could come to an end in Game 5 of the 2025 NBA Playoffs on Tuesday versus the Indiana Pacers. But one of their best players, Damian Lillard, has already seen his season end prematurely. Lillard injured his lower left leg in Milwaukee's Game 4 loss on Sunday, and one day later, the team The Bucks also said that Lillard will undergo surgery to repair the tendon, which puts his 2025-26 season in jeopardy, considering the lengthy recovery process. Lillard suffered the non-contact injury when trying to grab an offensive rebound midway through the first quarter. After a missed Bucks shot caromed off the rim, Lillard, standing at the three-point line, stumbled as he attempted to go after the loose ball. He regained his footing in order to tap the ball to a teammate but then immediately crumpled to the floor. He then grabbed his left leg, remaining down for the next defensive possession. After the Bucks committed a foul to stop play, trainers rushed over to Lillard, who needed help getting to his feet. He then couldn't put any weight on the leg and headed to the locker room, having logged six minutes and going scoreless in the contest. The Bucks would be outscored by 26 points over the remainder of the game, putting them on the brink of elimination. After the game, head coach Doc Rivers said he knew immediately that it was an Achilles injury. Taking place as early as it did in the game, and to a player who had fought so hard to return to the court just last week, the injury took the wind out of the sails of the entire team. 'I've seen injuries deflate teams. Tonight, that one hurt. I thought our guys tried, but it was tough,' said Rivers. 'All of them are in there at halftime in the training room. It's really tough to talk to a team after that. My job over the next 40 hours is to get us upright again, to try to win one game in Indiana and try to get it back [to Milwaukee]. But my brain is in the same place where the players are—and that's with Dame. That's just the human part of this job.' This was just Lillard's third game back after a scary bout with deep vein thrombosis in his other leg—his right calf. Lillard missed roughly a month of action due to that, and predictably, was rusty upon his return. He shot just 6 of 27 (22.2 percent) in his two-plus games since returning to the court after a bounce-back regular season. In his second year in Milwaukee, Lillard increased his averages in points, rebounds, assists and steals, while shooting higher percentages from both the field and the three-point line. Related Stories 3/26/2025 5/20/2024 Lillard, 34, is the same age as Kobe Bryant was in 2013 when he suffered a torn Achilles tendon. Bryant's injury also occurred in April of that season, and he missed the Los Angeles' Lakers postseason run, as well as their first 19 games of the following season. He returned eight months after the injury, but perhaps too quickly. Just six games after coming back, Bryant suffered a tibial plateau fracture in the same leg, which ended his season. On the longer end of an Achilles tear recovery is Kevin Durant, who tore his in June 2019 during the NBA Finals, missed the entire following season, and didn't return to the court until December 2020. That gave him 18 months of recovery, and Durant's production has been steady since then, which could influence Lillard's rehab process. Lillard is due over $54 million next season, and just four players will earn more than that. He then has a player option for the 2026-27 season worth over $58 million. This is the latest in a string of untimely injuries for Bucks stars over the last few postseasons. Sunday's game was only the third playoff game in which Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo played together, due to injuries to both. Lillard also missed two playoff games last year due to an Achilles injury to his right leg, while Antetokounmpo missed the entire 2024 playoffs due to a calf injury of his own. In the 2023 playoffs—before Lillard was on the Bucks—Antetokounmpo missed two full games and most of another during Milwaukee's five-game first-round loss to the Miami Heat. Just one year before that, All-Star Khris Middleton missed 10 of Milwaukee's 12 postseason games, and the team was not able to successfully defend its championship. With Lillard out for the rest of the 2025 playoffs, at the very least, Milwaukee will turn to Kevin Porter Jr. as its starting point guard. He was acquired at the trade deadline and scored a postseason career-high of 23 points in Sunday's Game 4 defeat.
