Could Celtics Rival’s Setback Trigger NBA’s Next Superstar Exit?

While the Boston Celtics remain in hot pursuit of their second straight Larry O’Brien Trophy, the Milwaukee Bucks could be in trouble.

The Bucks, the current fifth seed in the Eastern Conference, suffered an untimely setback on Thursday when forward Bobby Portis was suspended for 25 games after violating the NBA’s anti-drug policy. Portis tested positive for the drug tramadol, a medication typically used to treat pain, which means the 30-year-old won’t be able to return until Milwaukee’s reached its final four games of the regular season.

Portis had been the team’s sixth man, averaging 13.7 points and 8.3 rebounds in 46 games, ranking sixth in boards among all bench players. So the roster loss, while arriving at a terrible point in the season for Milwaukee, is especially untimely considering the trade deadline is officially in the rearview mirror.

Bucks head coach Doc Rivers will now have to get Milwaukee laser-focused, not only to keep their title hopes intact but to keep the franchise’s hopes of retaining superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo committed long-term.

“Everyone knows Giannis Antetokounmpo loves the Bucks, but I’m here to tell you he loves winning more,” NBA insider Shams Charania reported on ESPN’s “Get Up.” “That’s why everyone in that Bucks organization, they know what’s at stake this season. They know the pressure and every summer when Giannis looks around and he looks at the Bucks’ current roster, he looks at sustained, long-term winning. Where will he be able to find that? And he has said publicly on the record, if he feels like that’s no obtainable anymore in Milwaukee, he will look elsewhere.”

Two offseasons ago, Milwaukee felt the pressure of keeping Antetokounmpo happy and swung a trade with the Portland Trail Blazers to acquire guard Damian Lillard. It was risky as the Celtics capitalized and landed Jrue Holiday in a separate trade shortly after, and even Lillard’s arrival presumably isn’t enough.

Antetokounmpo, four years removed from winning the NBA Finals, remains hungry for more champagne locker room showers and another Larry O’Brien. Without Portis for nearly the rest of the season, their go-to backup enforcer, the Bucks will have to buckle down and call upon a darkhorse or two — and that’s easier said than done.

Milwaukee has already watched star players eager to submit their two weeks’ notice in search of a trade, flee. Jimmy Butler forced his way out of the Miami Heat two weeks ago, and Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant pushed the Brooklyn Nets to close the door on their respective runs with the franchise two years ago.

So it’s not hard to imagine Antetokounmpo marching to the front office with intentions of becoming the face of the league’s next blockbuster trade.

The Bucks rank 20th in rebounds, averaging 44 a game, 28th in steals (7.2) and 18th in blocks (4.9) this season. It’s hard to maintain a top-five seed amid those defensive-centered struggles, which dragged Milwaukee last season, especially without a front-court aggressor like Portis along for the ride.

Milwaukee is also the sixth-worst team in the NBA at guarding the 3-pointer, allowing opponents to knock down 13.9 threes per game.

Teams including the Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers and New York Knicks aren’t going to fear a Bucks squad incapable of guarding the basket. Even with a healthy “Greek Freak,” it’ll take much more for Milwaukee to match the frontrunners of the East and the organization might soon find out whether or not Antetokounmpo has been bluffing.

This could be the start of the end of the Bucks.