Here we go again with Giannis Antetokounmpo.

The two-time NBA MVP and the Milwaukee Bucks are in disagreement about how to approach the end of the season, according to multiple reports. The Bucks would like to tank, which is easier to do if Antetokounmpo can’t return from his hyperextended left knee for the rest of the year, only he still wants to come back as soon as possible.

Someone wanted us to know this, even though it does not look good for anybody. It is as if everyone else knows they are headed for a divorce at season’s end but them.

[Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Baseball league for the 2026 MLB season]

There is little room for the Bucks (28-40) to move in the standings. Only the Chicago Bulls (28-41) are within four games of them on either side. They will not win enough to catch the Charlotte Hornets (35-34) for 10th place in the Eastern Conference or lose enough to match the Memphis Grizzlies (24-44) for the NBA’s eighth-worst record.

Really, they are worried about out-tanking the Bulls. The Bucks hold the league’s 10th-worst record and a 13.9% chance at a top-four pick. But if they can out-lose Chicago, those odds improve to 20.3%. However, if the pick ends up higher than New Orleans, it conveys to the Atlanta Hawks, and Milwaukee would receive the Pelicans’ pick. It is very complicated. Know this: The Bucks will most likely pick ninth or 10th in the draft.

There is, however, a slim chance both Atlanta and Milwaukee move into the top four.

Are a few more ping-pong balls worth furthering a divide with Antetokounmpo, whose commitment to the organization has remained in question all season? Let him play, if it’s going to convince him to stay. But we’ve probably passed that point.

So, don’t play. That is what is best for the Bucks, after all.

Either way, it’s not that big a deal, until they made one of it and let us all in on the argument. Why can’t the Bucks see that it is not so bad if Antetokounmpo wants to play out the season? And why can’t Antetokounmpo see that it is better for them if he doesn’t? Because neither party is interested in meeting in the middle anymore.

They are operating in their own best interests now. It is best for Antetokounmpo if he plays, I guess, because then he can say, “I never quit on Milwaukee,” and we can say, “He’s the type of guy who just wants to compete,” even at the risk to his own health.

It is best for the Bucks if he sits, for sure, because they are being outscored 9.5 points per 100 meaningful possessions when he is on the bench, according to Cleaning the Glass, and if that continues they just might pick ahead of Chicago. Milwaukee also does not risk Antetokounmpo’s trade value on his potential injury.

Either way, it is a silly argument to be having in public, partly because the Bucks could now be fined for so brazenly circumnavigating the NBA’s anti-tanking rules.

But mostly because nothing has changed. It always made more sense for the Bucks to trade Antetokounmpo in the offseason, when a number of potential suitors — the New York Knicks and Los Angeles Lakers among them — can improve their offers.

Yet, we’ve heard throughout the season every iota of Antetokounmpo’s uneasiness. We get it, man. It doesn’t make sense for you and the Bucks to be together anymore.

Let us know when the divorce is finalized. Otherwise, keep it down, Milwaukee.