Bucks Release No Timetable For Giannis Antetokounmpo Return From Calf Injury

Giannis Antetokounmpo is not a doctor, but he played one in the Milwaukee Bucks locker room after last Friday's game, which he left with a calf injury. Antetokounmpo said this felt like his previous calf strains and that he would get an MRI, but expected to be out for 4 to 6 weeks.

The MRI confirmed the calf strain, but what's the Bucks' official timeline?

"There's really no timetable," coach Doc Rivers said, via the Associated Press.

That led to quick speculation that the Bucks might shut Antetokounmpo down for the season in hopes of improving their lottery odds (the Bucks can then use that pick as a trade asset around the draft to get more talent around Antetokounmpo). Rivers shot that idea down, mostly.

"There's no thought to that," Rivers said. "But listen, there's no timetable either."

No timetable is bad news for a Bucks team trying to climb back into the East postseason mix, but is 3-11 this season in games Antetokounmpo has missed. If we take Antetokounmpo at his word on his timeline, then he would be out at least through the All-Star break.

That means Antetokounmpo, voted an All-Star starter by the fans, will miss the game in Los Angeles, and he will miss too many games to be eligible for postseason awards such as MVP or All-NBA. It also means he will be out well past the trade deadline, further squashing the idea he could be traded before Feb. 5 (the Bucks have not made him available for a trade at any point).

This summer is going to be an interesting one in Milwaukee. The Bucks can use whoever they draft next June (they will have the second-best pick between theirs or New Orleans, with the best one going to Atlanta and the Pelicans getting the Hawks pick), plus future draft picks and some players on the roster, to try and trade for more talent to go around Antetokounmpo (they also would have a mid-level exception to use). Milwaukee can line all that up, put that new vision of the team and a max contract extension in front of Antetokounmpo. It will be his choice whether to sign and stay, or not sign and essentially force the Bucks to trade him (or risk losing him for nothing in free agency in the summer of 2027).

The question now is, will we see Antetokounmpo back on the court for the Bucks before this summer?