Take a look at four stars in an embarrassing situation: Antetokounmpo s departure is inevitable, and KD s value is declining

Translator's note: The original text was published in Bleacher Report. The data in the text were as of the time of publication (May 31, local time), and the date involved has been converted. The views in the article have nothing to do with the translator and the platform.

If we know anything about the NBA offseason, it is that stars are almost always flowing. This summer is no exception.

Alas, it can even be said that it is gradually becoming a more chaotic situation than usual.

The closure of the championship window, the contract status, the conflicting timeline, and the widespread "this lineup no longer works" are paving the way for the flow of a large number of big-name stars. But which five stars are the most out of place in their current team?

This is the question we are going to answer here.

We will focus on the relationship between players and the team or the team's development direction to narrow the scope of the roster. Not all of these names will inevitably become the focus of gossip, but it is not reasonable for them to stay with the current team in the long run for some reasons that will be explained.

Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Milwaukee Bucks

Giannis Antetokounmpo has not yet made a clear decision about its future, and according to The Stein Line's Mark Stein, Damian Lillard suffered a tear of left Achilles tendon, which likely led to him missing all games next season, while the Milwaukee Bucks are desperately trying to convince Antetokounmpo to accept a transitional season.

All the basketball romantics in our hearts should support this two-time MVP staying on the team. And the part where we hope to see superstars compete in the highest level of the field and compete for the championship should be pushed to change the environment of Antetokounmpo.

transitional seasons are sometimes understandable. But this time it wasn't. Because the Bucks will not be able to control their first-round draft picks until 2031, there will be no high-coupon lottery waiting for them after "trying" a season's rest. The

Bucks are not moving quickly in a direction with great flexibility. Their total salary will be below the luxury tax line as they enter the offseason, but that hasn't calculated Brooke Lopez's new contract, and he remains crucial to the Bucks' relatively weak rotation.

Waiting for Lillard's return does not guarantee anything either. He and Antetokounmpo never really had a chemical reaction. More importantly, Lillard will be 36 years old by the 2026-27 season, and has just recovered from a major injury. (probably) has not played in the NBA game for more than a year.

This raises a question: Where will the Bucks and Antetokounmpo go? The answer is: nothing special—a shocking, sad, depressed, almost unfair fate, yet this feels inevitable.

Anthony Davis, Dallas Mavericks

In a Dallas Mavericks who gave up Luca Doncic in order to get themselves, Anthony Davis looks quite out of place. A team usually doesn't trade a 25-year-old superstar at its peak, and if they intend to do so, traditional beliefs are that they should prioritize the younger roster rather than bringing in a 32-year-old player who is in poor health and unable to dominate the offense.

Less than six months later, the whole situation looked even more bizarre. Kyrie Irving is recovering from a tear of the ACL in his left knee and is expected to be at least on the truce until the New Year. Oh, and because there is no reason in this world, the Mavericks also won the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft and obtained the right to choose 18-year-old talented player Cooper Flag.

The opening and closing of the championship window is so fast that the team's competitive timeline is largely overrated, but while the Mavericks are working hard to compete for the championship, they also have to train a star rookie about fifteen years younger than Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving. This idea is really full of embarrassment.

This has not been mentioned. Before Kyrie Irving returns, the Mavericks' current lineup configuration cannot provide appropriate support for Davis on the offensive end. Flag had a slim chance of becoming that character from day one. With the current lineup configuration of the Mavericks, the possibility of making the most of Davis' remaining peak period is even more slim. A marriage that felt risky from the beginning, and even unnecessary, now seems even more out of place for both the players and the team.

Kevin Durant, Phoenix Suns, tried to secretly negotiate a deal about Kevin Durant before the trade deadline in February last year, but their attempts were finally made public, and the two sides are now expected to find a new next home for the two-time Finals MVP in the offseason.

I believe that no one could have expected this.

The Stein Line reporter Jack Fisher recently reported that the Suns did not rule out the possibility of leaving Kevin Durant. I wish the new general manager Brian Gregory good luck. Once the transaction negotiation or transaction application is made public, there is no turning back. Durant will turn 37 in September and is about to enter the final year of his current contract, which makes him far from a stable investment and potential risk of leaving the team. The current era of the Suns, no matter what you call it, is a complete failure. The Suns have no hope of winning the championship next season, and Durant is a team with hopes of winning the championship. If the Suns continue to keep Durant, putting themselves at risk of losing him without gaining anything next summer — or even being forced to trade it on the 2026 trade deadline, when the mid-season bid for an elderly star’s expiration contract will be far less intense than it is now — will only exacerbate their already bleak future.

Laury Markkanen, Utah Jazz In a Utah Jazz that has not yet entered the mid-stage rebuilding, Laurie Markkanen continues to appear out of place. This embarrassment was once flattering because it helped Markkanen to the All-Star Game at that time. And now, this can only be said to be... weird.

This has little to do with Markkanin's contract, although this is certainly part of the reason. Markanen's contract has four years left with $195.9 million, which is a high price for someone who can't be the main ball-holding point and has no other star player partners around him. The Jazz can afford this cost. Their core players are still not well paid, the overall salary space is quite flexible, and even teams in rebuilding need to spend money in some places.

Nevertheless, the distance between the Jazz and winning in the current window remains large, and the lack of other reliable core players has begun to damage Markkanen's influence.

In the previous two seasons, Markkanen averaged 24.5 points, shot more than 57% from two-point shots and 39% from three-point shots. And this season, the 28-year-old's efficiency has declined, shooting 52.5% from two-pointers and 34.6% from three-pointers.

Although Markanen is biased towards the outside style, he is essentially a top terminator. The Jazz currently do not have the right roster configuration to allow Markkanen to play the ideal role.

Although this is not the kind of situation where "trading Markanen at all costs", the outside world's perception of its contract has begun to change. Markkanin is no longer as valuable as it was last year. And if the lineup around him does not change dramatically before the start of next season, his value may only continue to decline.