The Knicks and Milwaukee Bucks mentioned a possible commerce that might have despatched two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo to New York this offseason — however the Knicks, in response to an ESPN report, believed the Bucks had been by no means critical about making a deal.
The conversations — detailed in a sweeping Tuesday morning report from ESPN’s Shams Charania — passed off in August, following a late July assembly between Antetokounmpo and Bucks GM Jon Horst. In the course of the assembly, the franchise cornerstone voiced his concern about Milwaukee’s championship window after the workforce’s third straight first-round playoff exit.
“Several teams were discussed internally, but one emerged as the only place Antetokounmpo wanted to play outside of Milwaukee: the New York Knicks,” Charania wrote, citing a number of sources with direct information of the state of affairs. “The Bucks picked up the Knicks’ call on Antetokounmpo, and the sides engaged in conversations for a window of time in August, league sources said, but the teams never got traction on a deal.”
The Bucks, in response to Charania, weren’t moved sufficient by New York’s provide to entertain parting with their franchise participant. The Knicks had already traded 5 first-round picks to accumulate Mikal Bridges from the Brooklyn Nets, then signed Bridges to a four-year, $150 million extension — a transfer that renders him ineligible for commerce till February.
With their draft capital depleted and Bridges quickly off the desk, the Knicks lacked the belongings to make a compelling provide for one of many league’s most dominant forces.
The Knicks’ curiosity in Antetokounmpo isn’t new. The entrance workplace, led by president Leon Rose, has had the Greek Freak on its radar since Rose took over in 2020. However with Antetokounmpo now starting the primary yr of a three-year, $175 million extension that pays him $54.1 million in 2025–26, any path to buying him could be financially advanced.
“It’s unclear how the Bucks would have responded to an all-out chase by the Knicks,” Charania wrote. “The multiweek process was described by one source with direct knowledge of the talks as an exclusive negotiating window. New York, for its part, believes the Bucks never were serious about entertaining an Antetokounmpo trade, sources said.”
Antetokounmpo has by no means made a secret of his dissatisfaction with Milwaukee’s playoff trajectory. He stays the one participant in NBA historical past to common 30 factors, 11 rebounds and 5 assists on 60% taking pictures for 3 consecutive seasons. Nonetheless, the Bucks didn’t advance previous the primary spherical in every of these years.
This summer season, issues solely received murkier. Milwaukee misplaced Damian Lillard to a torn Achilles within the playoffs, then waived him, consuming his huge wage at a mean of $22 million in opposition to their books over the subsequent 5 years. Their greatest transfer was signing Myles Turner away from the Indiana Pacers, a outstanding three-and-D middle who has no All-Star appearances and shot 21% from deep within the NBA Finals.
In an Japanese Convention the place each Jayson Tatum (Celtics) and Tyrese Haliburton (Pacers) are anticipated to overlook important time, the Bucks don’t stack up on paper with contenders just like the Knicks, Cavaliers or Magic.
Whereas Giannis has all the time expressed loyalty to the franchise that drafted him fifteenth general in 2013, his priorities are evolving. The aim now could be legacy — not sentiment. And if the Bucks can’t present a title-worthy roster, the Backyard stays his most well-liked vacation spot.
“I want to be on a team that allows me and gives me a chance to win a championship,” Antetokounmpo stated at Bucks media day on Sept. 29. Showing remotely on account of a COVID-19 analysis, he added: “I think it’s a disservice to basketball, just to the game, to not want to compete at a high level, to want your season to end in April.”
The Knicks and Bucks meet 3 times this season: Oct. 28 and Feb. 27 in Milwaukee, and Nov. 28 at Madison Sq. Backyard — an NBA Cup group stage sport that now carries additional intrigue.
Antetokounmpo isn’t sporting a Knicks jersey. Not but. However when superstars communicate, the league often listens — and oftentimes, they get their manner. Now the Knicks have one thing greater than expectations: they’ve stakes.
As a result of if this group can’t recover from the hump as at present constructed, there’s a superhero ready within the wings — able to throw on a cape and chase a title in Madison Sq. Backyard. And if there’s one factor the entrance workplace has made clear, it’s this: they’ll do no matter it takes to finish the franchise’s ongoing 52-year championship drought.
