This upcoming season could make or break the core of the Milwaukee Bucks … at least that’s what Giannis Antetokounmpo thinks.

Antetokounmpo, who led the Bucks to their first NBA championship in 50 years in 2021, is prepared for the worst if he can’t carry his team to another title this season.

“Yeah, if we don’t win a championship, I might get traded,” Antetokounmpo told The Athletic. “This is the job we live. This is the world we’re living in. It’s everybody. At any given moment, if you don’t succeed, that might be it for us. … If you don’t do a good enough job, you’re out.”

The Bucks are entering their second season with the duo of Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard, who Milwaukee acquired in October 2023. Milwaukee finished third in the Eastern Conference last season with a record of 49-33 but was eliminated by the Indiana Pacers in the first round of the NBA Playoffs.

[RELATED: Damian Lillard is out for ‘revenge’ with Bucks after ‘toughest year of my life’]

Antetokounmpo signed a three-year, $186 million contract extension with the Bucks in 2023 with a player option for the 2027-28 season. He’s due $48.7 this season and $54.1 million the following season.

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Giannis Antetokounmpo

Milwaukee Bucks

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