NBA insider reports on $7.5B franchise's chances of landing Giannis Antetokounmpo
Talks of Giannis Antetokounmpo hitting the trade market have caught fire amid the Bucks' 1-5 start to the 2024-25 NBA season. The $7.5 billion Knicks are among the reported teams in the Giannis sweepstakes, with city rivals Nets, their conference rivals the Heat, and West heavyweights Warriors.
However, reports from New York suggest the Knicks are 'unlikely' to land the two-time MVP. According to NBA insider Stefan Bondy, sources say the Knicks giving up most of their assets to acquire Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns slims their chances of trading for Giannis.
"Of course, the Knicks just unloaded the vast majority of their assets to acquire Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns, making it difficult to match offers the Bucks would field," Bondy wrote for The New York Post.
"As a result, a source deemed it “very unlikely” the Knicks can find a way to land Antetokounmpo."
The 29-year-old Bucks superstar is a hot commodity if he hits the open market. and several teams may line up better packages than New York, who have up five first-rounders in trading for Mikal Bridges and one in the Karl-Anthony Towns' deal.
Knicks' giving up key asset for Karl-Anthony Towns involved plans to make a run at Giannis Antetokounmpo
The Knicks have had a busy summer with multiple big-time names being added to their roster, like Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns, which meant that they had to part ways with certain key assets like Donte DiVincenzo and Julius Randle.
The Knicks were reportedly hesitant to include DiVincenzo in the deal for the Towns. However, after months of negotiations, they finally budged and agreed to part ways with him.
According to NBA insider Marc Stein, the ulterior motive was to acquire Giannis Antetokounmpo by flipping Towns in that potential deal. It seems like a long shot for now, but the NBA is unpredictable.
Most of the last few major deals in the past two offseasons, including Damian Lillard's trade to the Bucks and Karl-Anthony Towns to the Knicks, among others, shook the NBA world.
Giannis currently favors a move to Miami or Brooklyn, per reports. But the lure of playing at the MSG, especially with the Knicks becoming an attractive landing spot with their on-court improvement can always sway the All-Star's decision.