The Milwaukee Bucks ended an era by trading Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Milwaukee will send the all-time franchise leader in points, rebounds, assists, and blocks to the Miami Heat in a package for multiple players and draft picks. Antetokounmpo won two MVPs and a championship during his 13 seasons with the Bucks, receiving an All-Star nod in each of the last 10 seasons.
A former Bucks star responded to the reported blockbuster trade. Michael Redd, who averaged 20.0 points per game over his 11 seasons with Milwaukee, reflected on the Giannis deal in a lengthy social media post.
"Players come and go," Redd wrote. "The team is the thing that lasts. It's the deal every one of us signs up for, whether we know it or not. You get your window to be the man and you try to give the city everything you've got while you're there. Eventually though, somebody else comes along to take your place."
"It's just time"
© Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images.
Redd praised Antetokounmpo's indelible run with the Bucks. Speculation about his long-term future with the organization has persisted for years, but the "Greek Freak" stayed with the team through four consecutive seasons without advancing past the first round of the playoffs.
"What Giannis did in Milwaukee speaks for itself," Redd said. "He brought a title to a city that waited 50 years for one. Two MVPs. Defensive Player of the Year. He stuck around when plenty of guys his size would've pushed their way out a lot sooner, and he gave that place everything he had for more than ten years. One of the greatest to ever wear that incredible Bucks jersey."
Despite Antetokounmpo's legendary stint, Redd felt that he and the Bucks both needed to part ways.
"But the page always turns. It turned on Kareem all those years ago, it turned on me and the fellas I played alongside, and now here it is turning on Giannis too," Redd added. "It's just time, for both sides, to get the next chapter started."
Redd thanked Antetokounmpo for all he accomplished in Milwaukee before acknowledging that the Bucks could endure some doldrums in the near future.
"Thank you, Giannis. For the championship, for the memories, and for repping Milwaukee the right way. The Bucks are dead. Long live the Bucks.
