New York Knicks fans knew that trading for Giannis Antetokounmpo was a long shot, even after Shams Charania's report last week that he's "ready for a new home." They don't have what other teams can offer. For the fans still holding out hope (and there are plenty), what Brian Windhorst said on Monday on ESPN made the possibility of a trade feel even lower: "The Knicks believe in this team, Greeny, and that could end up being an excellent assessment, or that could end up being a mistake."
Windhorst added that New York isn't showing the "aggression" needed to complete a trade for Giannis. He specifically mentioned trying to trade players to get a return of assets the team could turn around to use in a deal to land the 31-year-old superstar. Windhorst didn't name any names, but even trading Mikal Bridges and/or Karl-Anthony Towns wouldn't net the Knicks the assets they'd need to get Antetokounmpo.
Given how the organization is (and isn't) approaching a Giannis trade right now, Windhorst believes it's because they like their current roster and outlook in the conference (he highlighted what James Dolan said last month in an interview with WFAN). He did say that if New York doesn't come out of the East in the playoffs, the Knicks could be all-in on landing Antetokounmpo over the summer, if the Bucks don't trade him before the deadline.
Windhorst doesn't think Knicks will trade for Giannis before deadline
Now, this isn't Windhorst saying that he heard specifically from New York that it isn't interested in trading for Giannis. The Knicks are one of the top teams listed as a potential suitor for a reason, but as Windy pointed out, they don't seem to be putting themselves in a position to trade for Antetokounmpo.
It'd benefit New York, along with several other teams, if Milwaukee waits until the offseason to deal the superstar. The Knicks will have access to two first-round picks, and as Windhorst said, the way that their season ends could answer whether they'll be aggressive in their pursuit over the summer.
Antetokounmpo will be out for a few more weeks with a calf strain, his second of the season, so whichever team trades for him won't see him on the floor right away. He probably won't return until after the All-Star break, which is something that the Knicks have thought about. They constructed their current roster in hopes of ending their championship drought, and even after a very underwhelming span of play after their NBA Cup win, they're still in a position to do.
When someone like Giannis hits the market, you have to do more than consider going all-in on him, and the reason for that is self-explanatory. If it were a few years ago, New York would've probably already offered Milwaukee several first-round picks, but that would've been before it traded for Bridges.
Choosing to wait and see what this team can do is the right decision (not only because it may be their only one). Giannis is still in play, at least for now, but the Knicks don't seem to be ready to go all-in for him (yet).