Getty Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks goes to the basket as Quentin Grimes #6 and Mitchell Robinson #23 of the New York Knicks defend.
Giannis Antetokounmpo doubled down on his ultimatum on the Milwaukee Bucks, raising the chances of the New York Knicks making a potential run at the Greek superstar.
“I don’t want to be able to get stuck in this lifetime to keep on talking about the same story,” Antetokoumnpo said on the “48 Minutes” podcast on Bleav, referring to the Bucks championship in 2021. “If the Milwaukee Bucks and I are on the same page, great. But if not, I have to win and I think the [Milwaukee] city and the people will understand.”
Antetokounmpo is eligible to sign a three-year, $173 million extension beginning Sept. 22. However, he already revealed in a New York Times interview that he will defer deciding his future next summer.
The 28-year-old Antetokounmpo has two more guaranteed years left on his five-year supermax contract, including next season. He has a player option for the 2025-26 season.
His recent statements have put more pressure on the Bucks, who have a rookie coach in Adrian Griffin, entering a pivotal season for the franchise.
“I’m a Milwaukee Buck but most importantly, I’m a winner. I want to win and I have to do whatever it takes for me to win and if there’s a better situation for me to win the Larry O’Brien [trophy], I have to take that better situation,” Antetokounmpo said on the “48 Minutes” podcast on Bleav.
In May, ESPN’s NBA insider Brian Windhorst reported that the Knicks are monitoring Antetokoumnpo’s situation in Milwaukee.
Brian Windhorst says the Knicks are monitoring Giannis Antetokounmpo’s situation in Milwaukee
“The New York Knicks, for example, they got 97 percent of their attention on the Miami Heat, three percent of their attention on Milwaukee.”
The Knicks, who reached the second round of the NBA playoffs last season, have positioned themselves as an attractive destination for Antetokounmpo in case the Bucks fail to win next season and break up their aging core to begin rebuilding under their new ownership.
Bill Simmons Guarantees Knicks Will Get a Superstar Next Year
The Ringer’s Bill Simmons is confident that the Knicks will be able to pull off a blockbuster trade next year.
“One of those three guys, I guarantee it, they’ll get. Giannis [Antetokounmpo], Joel [Embiid] or [Donovan] Mitchell will be on that team a year from now,” Simmons said on the September 8 episode of his podcast.
However, he’s not betting on the Knicks acquiring Antetokounmpo among the three stars linked to them.
“Giannis is probably the most likely to stay to me just because Milwaukee just might be really good. I really think if he feels like he can win where he is, so [he’ll] stay. Mitchell, I think always want to go to the Knicks and the Embiid thing is just like watching a slow-motion car accident with just where that franchise is going. And he has a whole history with the Knicks,” Simmons added.
Knicks Add Summer League Standout
The Knicks announced they had signed NBA Summer League standout Charlie Brown, Jr. to an Exhibit 10 contract after waiving Obadiah Noel over the weekend.
The 26-year-old former St. Joseph star averaged 19.8 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.0 assists for the Knicks in the Summer League in Las Vegas last July. He played for the Delaware Blue Coats, winning a G League title last season and earned a 10-day contract with the 76ers in January.