Throughout last summer, there were rumblings that the New York Knicks and the Milwaukee Bucks were playing a bit of footsie on the possibility of a Giannis Antetokounmpo trade. Recent reporting from ESPN’s Shams Charania shows just what was behind those discussions–and how the Knicks could be in the driver’s seat should Antetokounmpo return to the trade market this summer.
With the caveat that things can change, especially when it comes to the potential for blockbuster trades in the NBA, the firmest statement that Antetokounmpo has made to the Bucks in the past year, as his relationship with the organization has deteriorated, was that he would only want to be traded to the Knicks. That declaration, according to a new ESPN story, was made last July in Greece.
But the Bucks had taken some huge gambles on the roster last offseason, including waiving Damian Lillard and signing center Myles Turner to a $110 million contract, and the team talked him into giving the roster a chance.
Charania wrote: “After back-and-forth discussions — including a meeting in Antetokounmpo’s native Greece in late July after which the New York Knicks became the only team he’d play for other than Milwaukee — and the Bucks refusing to move him, Antetokounmpo agreed to give the new roster a chance to grow.”
Knicks or Bust for Giannis Antetokounmpo Trade?
At this point, the Knicks are really the only team we can say for sure that Antetokounmpo actively wants to play for. He does hold some leverage in this, because he is eligible for a $275 million extension on October 1, and controlling his destiny is as simple as informing a team interested in trading for him that he won’t sign an extension to remain there.
A team like Toronto, which took a one-year gamble on Kawhi Leonard (and won a championship in 2019), could change that. But most teams are not going to sacrifice assets without some certainty of having Antetokounmpo for the long term.
But sentiment about any other team that Antetokounmpo might have an interest in is just speculation. There has been credible chatter about where Antetokounmpo would not want to go. The West Coast is said to be a no-go, for example, which would rule out the Lakers, Clippers and Warriors.
Time for a Trade Has Arrived
And there is also the question about whether the Knicks want Antetokounmpo. If the team pulls together a successful playoff run and reaches the Finals, maybe not. If the Knicks fall short in the playoffs (again), the team would almost need to trade for Antetokounmpo if he is open to it.
As one Eastern Conference GM told Heavy, the time has come for a deal. The most recent spat between the two sides has come with Antetokounmpo inviting the NBA to investigate the Bucks for sitting him out with a knee injury, which he says he does not have.
“Anyone can sort of sympathize with the Bucks in all of this, where you do not want to be the one who trades away the best player your team has had in 50 years. And he’s a beloved guy, and he loves Milwaukee and all of that. Portland did not want to trade away Damian Lillard and really, you can see, that did not turn out great for anybody—not for the Blazers, not for Dame, not for the Bucks.
“This situation is a little different because a lot of the Lillard stuff was behind the scenes, even though it was all getting leaked by his agent (Aaron Goodwin). But here you’ve got Giannis just throwing hand grenades at you, over and over. At some point, you’ve got to say, ‘Enough.’ Again, that point was probably a year ago. But it has got to be after this season, that’s it.”
Knicks Control Market on Giannis Antetokounmpo Trade