Damian Lillard said his chemistry with Giannis Antetokounmpo is still a work in progress following the Milwaukee Bucks' 127-110 loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday.

"We're still learning each other. It's a process of when I do have a start like this or have a game like this, how do I find it without holding onto the ball? Or in the past I would search sometimes, but I don't have to, so it's where do I find those moments and those opportunities to get myself going so I can be a positive out there? That's part of the process. It's just our second game," said Lillard following the loss.

Lillard had just six points after shooting 2-of-12 from the field and was held scoreless at hafltime.

The Bucks never lead in the game. 

Antetokounmpo added that he and Lillard are still figuring each other out. 

"It's game two. It's very, very early. We're still figuring ourselves out. We're figuring out what works. We're figuring out what we are good at, what we are not good at," said Antetokounmpo. 

When Giannis Antetokounmpo became eligible to sign a three-year, $186 million extension with the Milwaukee Bucks, Jon Horst flew to Houston to formally present him with the offer. Antetokounmpo was in Houston training with Hakeem Olajuwon. 

"I think those things matter," Horst said.

Last Thursday, Horst called Antetokounmpo and his agent, Alex Saratsis, and asked them to take a look at a 20-page proposal the Milwaukee front office prepared.

Horst had asked two basketball operations staffers, Arjun Mahendroo and Lindsay Hay, to team up with the marketing department to lay out the presentation.

While there were personal elements in the proposal, the business side of it made the argument that signing a three-year extension now would give Antetokounmpo two more chances to sign maximum extensions before the age-38 rule of the NBA's collective bargaining agreement applied to him.

"When we took the long-term view of how this decision gave him the best ability to maximize earnings over the next 10 years, it began to make more sense," Saratsis tells ESPN.

"Other than the ego of signing the largest contract in NBA history in the short term, why not take three big bites at the apple instead of two?"

After hearing the pitch, Saratsis got on the phone with Antetokounmpo while Horst waited for nearly 30 minutes. The conversations were productive, but Antetokounmpo wanted to sleep on it and talk with his family before making a final decision.

"I knew in my heart that I wanted to stay here," Antetokounmpo said Tuesday afternoon. "I don't want people to turn around when we lose a game and say, 'Giannis is irritated, Giannis doesn't like what's going on, Giannis is going to leave.' No. The conversation right now is going to be basketball.

"How can we get better? How do we build good habits? I did it this way before, in 2020, and it was good for me because I didn't have to think about it. I didn't have to put myself in a state of, 'What if? What if?' No, I'm committed. I'm here. And I want to win another championship."

Rival superstars began to reach out to Giannis Antetokounmpo during this past offseason pitching new collaborations, sources tell ESPN's Ramona Shelburne.

Sources also tell ESPN that rival teams had begun preparing for a potential bidding war to trade for Antetokounmpo should he become available.

"I would not be the best version of myself if I don't know that everybody's on the same page, everybody's going for a championship ... and if I don't feel that, I'm not signing," Antetokounmpo told the New York Times in August.

The interview created an idea around the NBA that Antetokounmpo could consider leaving the Bucks in the future.

But the Bucks' front office had already begun trying to trade for Damian Lillard and executed a deal shortly before media day.

Antetokounmpo responded by initially announcing he would sign an extension with the Bucks in 2024 before deciding to do so on the eve of the current season.

When Giannis Antetokounmpo was attempting to make a decision in 2020 on whether to sign an extension with the Milwaukee Bucks, he consulted a number of his superstar peers for advice.

"That summer, I was calling people that were in my position in the past," Antetokounmpo tells ESPN. "I was like, 'What do I do? Do you stay? Do you not stay? Do you stay? Do you not stay?' And everybody was basically telling me not to stay."

The Bucks had already traded three future first round picks for Jrue Holiday, but there were questions on whether they could win a title.

"But my gut said, 'No. I'm here. They gave me an opportunity. They changed my life. I'm here.' And when I was driving back to my house, I called the GM [Jon Horst] and told him, 'I'm signing.'"

Antetokounmpo informed Jon Horst on Dec. 15, 2020 that he would sign the extension.

"It's one of the greatest memories and moments of my life so far," Horst said.

Word of the decision spread across Milwaukee.

"Then all of a sudden, everybody went downtown, I signed the contract and I said, 'We're going to win,'" said Antetokounmpo.

The Bucks went on to win the 2021 Finals.

Giannis Antetokounmpo initially announced he would wait until the 2024 offseason to sign an extension with the Milwaukee Bucks, but he quietly changed his mind shortly before the Monday deadline. Antetokounmpo's extension is worth $186 million over three years.

"This just came together, I'm told, really over the weekend," said Adrian Wojnarowski on his podcast. "Really, Sunday when Jon Horst drove down to Chicago and sat down with Giannis' agent Alex Saratis, who has been with Giannis from the very beginning. And they went through the numbers on this. And got it done. Signed the contract on Monday night in Milwaukee."

Antetokounmpo expressed some level of unease over the direction of the Bucks this offseason before they responded by trading for Damian Lillard. 

"Antetokounmpo has a tremendous amount of belief and trust in Jon Horst," said Wojnarowski. "Horst was there at the beginning with John Hammond when he was drafted. They had a relationship. He has seen at every turn he finds way to improve this team. To turn whatever the assets he does have into deals to improve that group."

Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks have agreed to a three-year, $186 million extension.

The deal includes a player option for the 27-28 season and commits him to the franchise for the duration of Damian Lillard's contract.

Antetokounmpo previously could have been a free agent in 2025.

Jon Horst traveled to Chicago on Sunday to meet with agent Alex Saratsis and work through the details of the extension that could maximize Antetokounmpo's earnings over the course of his career. 

The Milwaukee Bucks converted Marques Bolden to a two-way contract. Bolden was signed to an Exhibit 10 contract earlier this offseason.

Bolden has played in two NBA season, both with the Cleveland Cavaliers. The 6-foot-10 center also has four seasons worth of G League experience.

The Bucks roster is now in regular season compliance with 15 players on standard contracts and three players signed to two-way contracts.

The Milwaukee Bucks have waived Kihei Clark, Elijah Hughes and Glenn Robinson III. All three players are expected to join the Wisconsin Herd for the upcoming G League season.

The Bucks roster now stands at the regular season maximum of 15 players on standard contract. Milwaukee has one two-way roster spot open.

The Milwaukee Bucks have signed Elijah Hughes and Kihei Clark to non-guaranteed training camp deals. Both players will join the Wisconsin Herd of the G League after the NBA preseason.

Hughes is a two-year NBA veteran. He's played for the Utah Jazz and Portland Trail Blazers. Hughes spent last season with the Herd in the G League.

Clark went undrafted out of Virginia at the 2023 NBA Draft. He played for Utah at Las Vegas Summer League. As a senior for the Cavaliers, Clark averaged 10.7 points and 5.4 assists per game.

The Milwaukee Bucks signed Glenn Robinson III to an Exhibit 10 contract on Thursday.

Robinson last played 23 games for the Kings during the 2021 season. 

The Bucks most recently waived Jazian Gortman, Omari Moore, and Drew Timme.