Free-agent forward Thanasis Antetokounmpo, older brother of Giannis Antetokounmpo, has agreed on a deal to return to the Milwaukee Bucks, the team announced Friday. Here’s what you need to know:
- Thanasis has spent the past four seasons with the Bucks after being drafted by the New York Knicks with the No. 51 pick in the 2014 NBA Draft.
- The 31-year-old won an NBA championship with Milwaukee during the 2020-21 season.
- Thanasis has career averages of 2.7 points and 1.8 rebounds across 164 games with 11 starts.
The Bucks have made the re-signing of Thanasis Antetokounmpo officially official. pic.twitter.com/HrxiA99Q3S
— Eric Nehm (@eric_nehm) July 28, 2023
The Athletic’s instant analysis:
What has Thanasis meant to the Bucks?
This upcoming season will be Thanasis’ fifth straight with the Bucks. Across the last four seasons, he has appeared in 162 games and averaged 2.7 points and 1.8 rebounds in 8.4 minutes per game in those appearances. While Thanasis cracked Mike Budenholzer’s rotation in the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons, he did not find his way into Budenholzer’s rotation last season.
Despite his limited minutes on the floor, Thanasis has positively impacted the team with his energy and also regularly serves as a sounding board for his younger brother, two-time MVP Giannis. — Nehm
What does this mean for the Bucks’ roster?
Whenever Thanasis officially signs his contract, the Bucks will have filled all 15 spots on their NBA roster and the offseason will unofficially be complete.
When Bucks general manager Jon Horst spoke exclusively with The Athletic in Las Vegas shortly after free agency opened, he seemed at peace with the roster overall, despite the team’s lack of a true backup point guard. Horst could obviously still make changes through the rosters through trades, but the team will not have any more open roster spots after they officially bring Thanasis back for a fifth season. — Nehm
Backstory
Although Thanasis was drafted in 2014, he didn’t make his NBA debut until the 2015-16 season after time in the then D-League, when he played in just two games for the Knicks. After his brief stint with New York, he played professionally in Spain and Greece before returning to the NBA with the Bucks during the 2019-20 season.
Thanasis chose to return to Milwaukee over multiple options, including the Knicks, according to league sources. He and Giannis join Brook and Robin Lopez as the other set of brothers in Milwaukee for next season.
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(Photo: Benny Sieu / USA Today Sports)
