Milwaukee Bucks general manager Jon Horst said this week that the organization has exhausted every effort to build a championship-caliber roster around Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Speaking with The Athletic, Horst addressed questions about whether the team did enough to secure the two-time MVP’s long-term commitment. “Have we done enough? I don’t know. We’ll find out,” he said. “Have we done everything that we possibly could? Absolutely.”
Horst credited his entire front office team, including Dave Dean, Ryan Hoover, Milt Newton, Pat Haneman, Samer Jassar, David Mincberg, and Arjun Mahendroo, for their relentless offseason work. “We do everything we can to get better,” Horst explained. “We do everything we can to put the next version of this thing out there, to give Doc and Giannis and Bobby and Scoot and the guys every chance they can to win every night.”
The Bucks made several key moves this summer, including waiving Damian Lillard and signing Myles Turner to a four-year, $107 million deal. Turner is expected to strengthen the defense and provide additional size alongside Antetokounmpo.
Milwaukee also retained Gary Trent Jr. and Kevin Porter Jr., giving head coach Doc Rivers more flexibility with lineups. Rivers noted during Turner’s introductory press conference that he and Antetokounmpo stayed in constant contact throughout the offseason about the team’s direction.
Antetokounmpo himself hinted at staying in Milwaukee during a livestream with YouTuber IShowSpeed, saying, “Probably. Probably. We’ll see. We’ll see. Probably. I love Milwaukee,” when asked about his future.
While the star forward stopped short of a definitive commitment, his comments and reported involvement in recruiting Turner indicate satisfaction with the team’s progress.
Horst said he believes Milwaukee’s front office has done more than anyone else could reasonably expect. “In a very humble way, I think we’ve done as much or more than anyone else could possibly do, and I’m proud of that,” he said.
