After months upon months of speculation, it appears that the Giannis Antetokounmpo sweepstakes are finally kicking into full gear—and New York Knicks fans can expect their team to be involved.
According to a report from ESPN’s Shams Charania, the two-time MVP “is ready for a new home at the Feb. 5 NBA trade deadline or in the offseason.” Charania adds that “several rival teams” are making aggressive offers to the Milwaukee Bucks, and that the franchise “is starting to listen.”
It appears that the Knicks are among the teams making a push for the Greek Freak.
According to SNY’s Ian Begley, the Knicks “will be among teams making aggressive offers to Milwaukee” for Antetokounmpo. Begley adds that the Miami Heat will also be in the mix.
The news comes at a point where the franchises in Milwaukee and New York find themselves at a crossroads.
The Bucks, nearly five years removed from their 2021 NBA championship run, have seen their title window close amidst an 18-27 start that has them ranked 12th in the Eastern Conference. Along the way, Antetokounmpo has made several non-committal comments to the media, fueling speculation that he wishes to end his tenure as the face of the Bucks.
Meanwhile, the Knicks have struggled to live up to their billing as the preseason favorites to win the Eastern Conference title. At 28-18, New York ranks third in the East standings and has the eighth-best record in the NBA. They are closer in the standings to the 10th-seeded Hawks than the top-seeded Pistons. Since winning the NBA Cup in December, the Knicks are just 10-11 over their last 21 games.
Hoping to push themselves over the edge as legitimate title contenders, it makes sense that the Knicks are interested in Antetokounmpo. The question is how they can muster up a package that would entice Milwaukee to part with the best player in franchise history. New York has one of the league’s oldest rosters and already parted with numerous future first-round draft picks in the Mikal Bridges trade.
Time will tell whether the Knicks can make a competitive offer, but following an endless sea of rumors and hypotheticals, it appears that the Giannis-to-New York dream is as real as it has ever been.
