The New York Knicks have been connected to Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo for what feels like forever, and the more the Bucks fall in the standings, the more of a chance Antetokounmpo hits the trade block.
But would the Knicks be the team to make an aggressive move for the two-time MVP?
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The prevailing thought has long been that if New York had an opportunity to swing a deal for Antetokounmpo, it would pull the trigger, but Sam Amick of The Athletic is reporting otherwise.
When going through some possible trade scenarios involving Antetokounmpo, Amick shot down the chances of the Knicks completing a deal for the nine-time All-Star prior to the February deadline. At least for now.
“And then there’s the one team that Antetokounmpo showed a desire to play for last summer — the New York Knicks. Until further notice, the recently-crowned NBA Cup champions are fully invested in their current crop of title-contending talent,” Amick wrote.
You can understand why New York would not want to shake things up to such a degree.
The Knicks would have to gut their roster to pry Antetokounmpo away from Milwaukee, and they may be championship contenders as currently constructed.
New York is 22-9 and is in second place in the Eastern Conference, two games behind the Detroit Pistons for the No. 1 seed. With the Boston Celtics missing Jayson Tatum and the Cleveland Cavaliers in free fall, the Knicks stand a brilliant chance of reaching their first NBA Finals since 1999.
Obviously, Antetokounmpo could increase New York’s ceiling. He remains one of the best players in basketball and already has a championship under his belt. But the amount of depth the Knicks would have to sacrifice to land Antetokounmpo could ultimately sabotage their championship push.
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Antetokounmpo’s contract also complicates things, as he is making $54.1 million this season, $58.5 million next year and has a $62.8 million player option for 2027-28.
We’ll see if anything ultimately comes to fruition between the Knicks and Antetokounmpo over the next month-plus.
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