Giannis exits early from Bucks' win over Pistons with strained calf

Giannis Antetokounmpo did not return to the Milwaukee Bucks' 113-109 win over the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday after exiting early in the first quarter with a calf strain.

The Bucks forward was running back on defense after assisting on a layup by AJ Green three minutes into the contest when he suddenly fell and grabbed his right calf. He was escorted to the locker room but managed to walk off under his own power.

Bucks head coach Doc Rivers said postgame that he believes the team has ruled out a potential Achilles tear for the star, according to Eric Nehm of The Athletic.

The injury potentially comes at an ill-timed moment for the Bucks star. Antetokounmpo reportedly met with the team on Wednesday to discuss the possibility of being traded ahead of the Feb. 5 deadline.

The 30-year-old has been with Milwaukee since being drafted 15th overall in 2013, but he apparently told the organization before the season that he would reassess his future after around 25 games. Wednesday's matchup against the Pistons was the Bucks' 23rd of the season.

However, Rivers pushed back on the reports, telling media ahead of Wednesday's game that there had been no recent conversations about Antetokounmpo's future.

"Giannis has never asked to be traded. Ever. I can't make that more clear," Rivers said, courtesy of Fox6 News's Lily Zhao.

Antetokounmpo entered Wednesday averaging a team-high 30.6 points on an NBA-best 11.8 made shots per game. He also led Milwaukee in rebounds (10.7 per game) and assists (6.4) in 16 contests.