The one name hanging over the New York Knicks’ heads has remained consistent for the better part of the last year, and this day is no different. Well, it could be a tad different after the latest Giannis Antetokounmpo rumor.
According to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line, the Portland Trail Blazers may be eager to get involved in any potential trade discussion between the Knicks and Milwaukee Bucks. The reason is simple: Portland has been intrigued by Mikal Bridges for quite some time.
Antetokounmpo, 31, continues to publicly state that he will not request a trade. Worse yet, for interested teams, he’s dealing with a calf injury, one that’s expected to sideline him for multiple weeks, well beyond the Feb. 5 trade deadline.
Even without this latest tidbit, the Knicks’ chances of acquiring Giannis during the season were bleak. Not only is it difficult to make everything line up in an NBA superstar trade — the involved teams, salaries, etc. — but doing so at any point other than the summer was always tough to imagine.
As far as Bridges is concerned, well, New York obviously invested heavily in the Villanova Wildcat. Leon Rose traded five first-round draft picks to the Brooklyn Nets to acquire Bridges during the 2024 offseason.
Despite never making an All-Star appearance, it was widely assumed that he fit into this roster as one of the final pieces, offering up the three-and-D skill set needed around point guard Jalen Brunson.
While Bridges connects to the potential of a Giannis-to-New York deal via Portland’s potential interest, he’s also the reason the Knicks find it difficult to maneuver in the first place. Dishing out all those picks puts Rose’s squad in a precarious position of having little to no ammo remaining.
It’s why names such as Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns loom large when The Greek Freak’s name is mentioned.
At the end of the day, it’s hard to imagine the New York Knicks trading for Giannis Antetokounmpo during this season — no matter which rumors surface along the way.
