Rivers furious over Giannis trade rumors – Also takes aim at Charania!

Milwaukee Bucks coach Doc Rivers has publicly addressed the ongoing speculation surrounding Giannis Antetokounmpo's future throughout the season, while also sharply criticizing journalist Shams Charania.

Rumors concerning the Greek superstar began even before the start of the season and intensified around the trade deadline. Despite continuous reports, the "Greek Freak" remained in Milwaukee, wearing the Bucks' jersey.

However, the situation escalated with a recent article by Shams Charania, which described a "toxic" locker room environment within the team. According to sources cited by the journalist, the Bucks' management had reportedly accepted the idea of trading Antetokounmpo.

In an interview on the "RunItBack" show, Doc Rivers did not hide his frustration, calling this season the most difficult of his career. He attributed the challenges to both injuries and the persistent rumors about Giannis, which, he stated, affected the team's atmosphere.

The veteran coach admitted that there were discussions about Antetokounmpo's future but vehemently denied that the Bucks ever came close to trading their star player. Furthermore, he attacked Shams Charania, claiming that the journalist was upset with the team and therefore published inaccurate reports.

Rivers' statements in detail:

On the most difficult season of his career: "It all started early. The rumors like 'Is Giannis staying or not?' Then came the injuries. It's very difficult to try and keep the locker room together. When you can't convince everyone, it's tough. To justify them, I understand it. One aspect I didn't control as much as I should have was the rumors about whether your best player is staying or leaving. That affected the locker room."

On Shams Charania: "I made a joke before the All-Star and said, 'Giannis needs to trade Shams.' Shams took it personally, called the Bucks, and yelled at them. My relationship with Giannis is great. Shams wrote an inaccurate article. He talked about our locker room. The first thing I thought was, 'Where's Wojnarowski? I miss him a lot.'"

On the possibility of trading Antetokounmpo: "No, that's the thing. If you read what's written, and I don't want to get into it with Shams again, but that's why he got upset. We weren't close to doing anything. As a coach, it bothered me because I know what's going on. Were there discussions? Of course. Were we close to doing something? No."

On Giannis' relationship with the Bucks: "It's not about the trade. It really isn't. It's about whether he has to play in the coming days or not. I'm in the middle of that. I'm not involved in the decisions."

On his future with the Bucks: "I don't want to say I'm retiring, because I know I won't fully retire. I, the owners, and management are all on the same page."