Fire Up The Photoshop Machine! Shams Reported The Knicks Discussed A Giannis Trade With The Bucks Over The Summer After New York Emerged As The Only Place Giannis Wanted To Be Traded

ESPN- Ever since the NBA draft combine in mid-May, Alex Saratsis, an Octagon managing director and Antetokounmpo's U.S.-based representative, has fielded rampant interest in Antetokounmpo and conducted serious due diligence on best possible outside fits should the star and his reps push to be traded from the Bucks. Several teams were discussed internally, but one emerged as the only place Antetokounmpo wanted to play outside of Milwaukee: the New York Knicks, multiple sources with direct knowledge of the situation told ESPN.

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 insisted to the Knicks that they preferred not to move Antetokounmpo, but those in Milwaukee believe New York did not make a strong enough offer to continue even discussing a trade, league sources said. It's unclear how the Bucks would have responded to an all-out chase by the Knicks. 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.

The Knicks have had an eye on Antetokounmpo for the past couple of years under president Leon Rose, who heads a front office that built the franchise into a perennial playoff contender since taking over in 2020. People in league circles, including some in New York, have believed since 2024 that Antetokounmpo would eventually want to come to the Knicks if he ever explored a trade.

First of all, shout out Shams for ensuring I didn't need to brew myself a tall delicious mug of Stella Blue Coffee to wake up this morning because a report like that coming out of the blue at 7 AM hits the system like a brick of pure uncut Colombian cocaine. Good Lord.

Anyway, I guess the report that the Knicks were holding off on the Mikal Bridges extension due to them kicking the tires on a Giannis trade wasn't eye-rolling bullshit that so many people said it was. Clearly the Knicks didn't have enough to make the Bucks want to move him. But the fact Giannis reportedly only wants to come here and talks actually took place feels like an absolute win for a franchise that couldn't even get meetings with superstars despite all the Photoshops the New York newspapers and fans would pump out at the first rumor they were interested in making Madison Square Garden home.

I've always said that if the Bucks want to do right by Giannis and trade him to his desired location because he's a great dude that also led them to a championship, the Knicks would be in a great spot. I also understand the Knicks will be in a better place to make a move like that after this season thanks to being able to move another draft pick, find more teams to gather assets that make sense for the Bucks in a trade, and whatever loop holes cap magician Brock Aller has whipped up over the years just for a trade like this.

Regardless, these reports probably don't mean anything for this season other than Giannis likely doesn't want to be moved anywhere else, at least as of now, which is a great thing for the Knicks. Now New York gets to focus on trying to win a championship with a deeper roster in a comically shallow East and if that doesn't work out, they see where Giannis talks stand after another season worth of wear and tear after carrying the Bucks on his back yet again that will have him left with one year on his contract followed by a player option that can only increase his leverage. As someone who started blogging the Knicks during the dark days of Derek Fisher leading them to a franchise record amount of losses while getting into fights with Matt Barnes over his ex-wife, it's crazy that they sit in a position like this for the near future thanks to one man.

By the way, I feel as bad for Bucks fans as I can for fans that won a championship recently because having to deal with this shit before the season YET AGAIN. At least you guys have the chip, still have Giannis, and have the Brewers making a run. But this nonsense must be exhausting (even though being a Knicks fan is the definition of exhausting).