This was the second straight time for Giannis Antetokounmpo to watch the NBA Finals at home with the Most Valuable Player trophy in his hands. The difference was that he and the Milwaukee Bucks at least made the Eastern Conference Finals in 2019 and came so close leading 3-0 over the champions Toronto Raptors. By contrast, they were almost swept by the Miami Heat in the Eastern Semifinals last season.

Antetokounmpo still has one year left of his contract with Milwaukee and he is reportedly not interested in extending the deal now.

It should not be much of surprise for a league top 3 player like him to leave for better teammates and better chances to chase a ring after consecutive failures. LeBron James did that in 2010 and so did Kevin Durant in 2016. Antetokounmpo does not have to worry about finding a new employer either. Both the Raptors and the Heat are not only desperate to land him, but also (will) have enough salary space and leverage to sign him, either on the free agent market or by trade.

However, Antetokounmpo is different from the above two. James already played the Finals before "The Decision;" So did Durant. More importantly, what the two had gone through already convinced the world that they had already done everything they could there's barely any chance for them to achieve any breakthrough in their teams.

It's hard to say that about Antetokounmpo. His has not improved much with two of his biggest shortcomings – lack of shooting range and court vision. Milwaukee did not show much difference without him in the series against Miami. In fact, they won the game when Antetokounmpo was absent.

Of course, none of these should be able to keep him from leaving Milwaukee if he is determined to do so. Most will stop pointing fingers at him at the moment he wings a ring.

The bigger headache is with Milwaukee. They want to keep Antetokounmpo and they are still the only team that can pay him the most money. If he stays, he can sign a five-year, $253 million Designated Veteran extension which will take effect from the 2021-22 season. By contrast, other teams can only offer him a four-year, $161 million.

Unfortunately, $90 million is a lot of money but does not seem enough to keep an MVP like Antetokounmpo in today's NBA. Milwaukee will have to show they are serious and there's no way better to do that than building a champion franchise for Antetokounmpo.

But what if they lose again?

Apparently it will cost Milwaukee to improve their lineup, both in young assets and draft picks – which can be first-rounders for multiple years. However, even if they introduce a top guard that the team need the most in an all-in bet, there's no guarantee that Milwaukee will definitely win the championship, especially when they have to compete with the Los Angeles Lakers.

If Antetokounmpo decides to say goodbye in the summer of 2021, Milwaukee will have no star and no future. By the way, since they may start losing a lot of games, the draft picks Milwaukee send away will grow much more valuable, for other teams though.

So here's Milwaukee's dilemma: Maintain the status quo, they may lose Antetokounmpo; take a big bet, they may still lose him and put the team in a very difficult position for probably years.

Since that should be the concern of Milwaukee's front office, let's take a look at who may be the key piece for the team. It's no secret they need a guard who can launch screen play, shoot to kill from middle- and long-range, and carry the offense when he's needed to.

Chris Paul. Paul can give everything Milwaukee and Antetokounmpo need. Despite his 35 years, Paul led the Oklahoma City Thunder to make the playoffs and only lost to the Houston Rockets in overtime of Game 7. OKC already made it clear that they are willing to trade Paul and Milwaukee should have the leverage to pull the trade.

Nonetheless, Paul still has two years left of his contract which is worth more than $85 million. Milwaukee's salary number can explode if they land Paul. Moreover, if they fail to win the title again in the 2020-21 season, the team will have to miss Antetokounmpo while knowing that they will need to pay 36-year-old Paul $44 million.

Victor Oladipo. Compared with Paul, Oladipo is younger and his salary ($21 million) may not lift Milwaukee above the luxury tax line. Meanwhile, he's still struggling after recovering from injury and has only one year left of his deal. The Indiana Pacers can be convinced to let him go without asking for a high price.

However, Oladipo suffered from a ruptured quad tendon in his right knee in 2019, which could be career-threatening – his struggling performance during the season restart in Orlando was proof. If he cannot find the All-Star himself back, landing him can backfire for Milwaukee.

DeMar DeRozan. DeRozan was painfully underestimated last season because he could not shoot triples. He can handle the ball better than everyone in Milwaukee's squad and make greater scoring production than Khris Middleton while maintaining similar efficiency. Furthermore, his isolation skills can offer the team the solution they need in half-court offense.

Nonetheless, DeRozan has his problems as well. First, he does not shoot 3-pointers. Second, he's 31 years old, has only one year left of his contract and seeks a big deal in 2021 summer. That will give Milwaukee's front office another headache.