Sitting on the Milwaukee Bucks bench after fouling out with a little more than three minutes to go Friday, Antetokounmpo, his team up three points and only five seconds remaining, watched Washington Wizards forward Khris Middleton curl off a screen and catch the ball in front of the Bucks bench.

When the Milwaukee Bucks decided to trade Jrue Holiday away for Damian Lillard prior to the start of the 2023-24 season, it showed that the front office had little room for sentiment amid their ongoing quest to surround Giannis Antetokounmpo with the best possible roster.