Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo may currently be going toe to toe with some future teammates.
Many within league circles believe the Miami Heat and Toronto Raptors are the front-runners to sign the Bucks forward when he hits free agency after the 2020-21 season, reports Yahoo Sports' Vincent Goodwill.
Miami and Toronto's status as favorites is even considered to be "an open secret" inside the NBA's campus in Orlando, a source told Goodwill.
The Bucks are currently down 2-0 in their series against the Heat, who held Antetokounmpo to just 18 points on 6-of-12 shooting in Game 1. The 25-year-old had scored 18 points or fewer in just eight regular-season contests this year.
Following the Bucks' six-game collapse against the Raptors in the 2019 conference finals, it was reported that a 2020 Finals run could help convince the Greek star to re-commit to Milwaukee long term. A second-round elimination to the fifth-seeded Heat, though, would fall well short of early-season expectations.
Antetokounmpo apparently told a Harvard professor in the spring of 2019 that "deciding whether to sign (with Milwaukee) becomes a lot more difficult" if the team underperforms. However, Antetokounmpo quickly refuted that story, insisting he had been misquoted.
A May report suggested the Golden State Warriors have expressed interest in tabling an offer should Milwaukee look to trade the reigning MVP during the coming offseason.
