Where do the Milwaukee Bucks go from here? After losing to the Indiana Pacers in the first round of the playoffs for the second straight season and failing to win a playoff series for the third consecutive season, the futures of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Damian Lillard, and the Bucks as a whole are clouded. Milwaukee enters the offseason with no clear sense of direction. Plenty of trade rumors are already engulfing Giannis, and the Bucks don’t have any draft picks or young talent to try and turn to because they gave most of their assets up to acquire Lillard in 2023. Although Lillard has played well, he has not been the All-NBA guard the league has known him to be. Many have questioned Lillard’s fit alongside Antetokounmpo, and they’re not wrong to do so given that they are two ball-dominant players who have never had to defer to another star on offense. Lillard has endured two shaky years in Milwaukee, and now he is set to miss a vast majority, if not all, of the 2025-26 season after suffering a torn left Achilles. This is a devastating injury for many reasons. Aside from Lillard turning 35 in July and suffering this potential career-altering injury, the Bucks now have their hands tied. As good as the Bucks could be with Dame, rumors were already beginning to form about the team potentially looking to dangle him in trade talks this offseason. If Lillard didn’t suffer this injury and the Bucks still lost to the Pacers, a variety of conversations about Lillard’s future in Milwaukee were going to be had, according to Eric Nehm and Sam Amick of The Athletic. Despite his strong bond with Giannis, the nine-time All-Star’s fit with the Bucks has constantly been discussed. Given the organization’s lack of overall talent and his enormous cap figure, moving Lillard, if healthy, would provide the Bucks with options of how to build a contender around Giannis. Now that Lillard is injured, all rumors about Dame possibly being traded are dead. There is no telling what Lillard will look like coming off an Achilles injury this late in his career. It is hard to imagine he’ll have the same burst in his step, and it will take a lot of time for him to get back to a level he’s comfortable at as an all-around playmaker. As if the Bucks didn’t have enough problems from their consistent playoff failure, Lillard’s injury adds even more intrigue to the idea of Giannis possibly wanting to leave in the summer. Will Giannis Antetokounmpo leave the Bucks? Michael McLoone-Imagn Images The big question entering the offseason that every team in the NBA wants to know is about Giannis’ future. What is the Bucks’ two-time MVP thinking about, and does he envision himself being a part of what is a looming retooling or rebuilding process in Milwaukee? Antetokounmpo was obviously questioned about his future in the immediate aftermath of losing to the Pacers, and nobody should be shocked that Antetokounmpo failed to give a glimpse into his thinking. “I’m not going to do this. I’m not going to do this. I know how this (is) going to — Whatever I say, I know how it’s going to translate,” Giannis said not even an hour after the Pacers knocked him from the playoffs on Tuesday. “I don’t know man; I wish I was still playing; I wish I was still competing and going back to Milwaukee; I don’t know.” Giannis has always talked about how much he loves playing for the Bucks and the community around him. This is the only franchise he’s ever played for, and he holds strong relationships with those running the team due to their initial belief in him to become one of the faces of the NBA. That holds a lot of weight, which is why Antetokounmpo hasn’t jumped ship every time something goes wrong. The All-Star forward has always stuck with the Bucks through thick and thin, but at some point, every star sits down to truly evaluate their future. At 30 years old, that time is coming for Giannis, as he will need to consider the Bucks’ immediate course of attack to contend for a title in the wake of Lillard’s absence before concluding if Milwaukee is still the place for him. A long offseason that will be filled with mystery and potential disappointment has ensued for the Bucks.