One of the NBA’s foremost talents appears prepared to shake up the league’s landscape, and he’s long been linked to the New York Knicks.
ESPN’s Shams Charania reported early Wednesday afternoon that Giannis Antetokounmpo, his agent, and the Milwaukee Bucks have reopened dialogue regarding his future after a 6-15 start to the season.
Knicks fans will remember well that for a brief moment last summer, Antetokounmpo voiced an interest in taking his talents to the Big Apple.
Charania doubled down on his previous reporting of that saga, while warning that other teams will be real players if a trade market for the Greek Freak materializes.
“Over the offseason, Antetokounmpo explored external options and was open to playing for one team outside of Milwaukee—the New York Knicks—as a potential trade home,” Charania reported on Dec. 3. “Sources described it as an exclusive negotiating window for the Knicks over a multiweek period in August, but that will not be the case moving forward.”
Antetokounmpo is a two-time MVP with a championship under his belt. But there have been four teams crowned champion since he and Milwaukee hoisted the Larry O’ Brien in 2021, and the 30-year-old star isn’t getting any younger.
Nor is a trade to New York any more likely than it was back in August. Leon Rose and the Knicks, thanks to big swings for Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns, don’t have the capital to challenge teams if an NBA-wide bidding war develops.
Antetokounmpo, in 16 appearances for the Bucks this season, is averaging 30.6 points, 10.7 rebounds, and 6.4 assists per game. Pairing him with Jalen Brunson would seemingly set New York’s trajectory firmly for title town.
However, a deal where Antetokounmpo lands with the Knicks is likely only to happen if the star remains steadfast in his desire to play in Gotham. But hey, it wasn’t that long ago the Knicks were at the bottom of lists of preferred destinations.
Freakier things have happened.
