Newly acquired Miami Heat superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo finally admitted that he was hesitant to demand a trade away from the Milwaukee Bucks because of the chance that the fans would feel as if they were being betrayed.
Even though that still ended up happening to a certain extent, Giannis also says that he got to the point where he had to do what was best for himself. For better or worse, that led him to Miami, a place where he also admits will take time for him to find a comfort level.
During a recent podcast, Giannis opened up about the process that ultimately led him to being traded to the Miami Heat, where he shed light on how much it ultimately weighed on his mind, especially when making the decision whether he wanted to be traded or not.
“Yes. I certainly did. You can’t make a decision based on what others would think. The opinions of others never fed you, right? — I asked people who I love, ‘what do you think?’ I also wanted to get different opinions other than my agents or friends… I was scared a little bit. I thought people would say ‘after 13 years? You were practically raised here, we loved you! This is your team and you leave us?’ The people didn’t react that way at all. I saw it was something they wanted for me.”
When Giannis was ready for change, the Heat made the most sense
It's become clear (now) that as soon as Giannis got to the point that he was ready for change, the Heat made the most sense for what he was looking for. He was looking for a fresh start, and the Heat were looking for a superstar to take the franchise lead.
Both Giannis and the Heat were entering a season of their existence where big change was needed. It's almost poetic how their paths led them to each other, at just the right time.
Sure, there was clearly some hesitance from Giannis, which shouldn't come as a surprise by any means. After all, the idea that Giannis didn't want to apply pressure on the organization to trade him by demanding a move was something that was seen miles away.
As soon as the Giannis trade saga began to linger, it was clear as day what was happening. To a certain extent, Giannis wanted to have his cake and eat it too.
That's fair, but that almost never works out. And that's what Giannis is beginning to realize now. Interestingly enough, it's something that everyone else could've predicted months ago.
Add us as a preferred source on Google