Just in case Giannis Antetokounmpo doesn’t already have one foot out the door in Milwaukee, Doc Rivers is here to give him a little nudge.
Speaking with reporters ahead of the Bucks’ loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday night, Rivers said that Joel Embiid is the most talented player he ever coached. Seriously. That happened. Here’s the full quote:
“I was telling a very, very, very Hall of Fame player that I coached that Joel’s the most talented player that I ever coached. And he was like, ‘What?’ And I was like, ‘He is.’
Question for no one in particular: Is Doc trying his darnedest to coax Giannis into requesting a trade, or is he just hoping to get himself fired? Or maybe it’s both?
Either way, the Knicks should be thrilled.
Giannis’ situation in Milwaukee is getting weird
No, Giannis won’t demand a trade to New York just because Doc might think Embiid is the more talented player. But it can’t hurt. Especially given the general awkwardness of his situation with the Bucks.
Between Milwaukee tumbling down the standings, Giannis’ calling out his team prior to his latest calf injury, and oh, I don’t know, the two-time MVP actually asking to get shipped to New York this past offseason, his future seems far from settled.
It doesn’t matter that he’s said he will not request a trade. Having second thoughts about your current squad's direction is basically a rite of passage for one-team superstars.
Also, let’s be real, Giannis isn’t fooling anyone with his previous assertion that he can’t control what his representatives tell Milwaukee. His agents aren’t even giving the faintest hint of a trade request without his blessing. Nobody goes that rogue.
To be fair, Rivers’ comments about Embiid aren’t ironclad proof of a disconnect. To be even more fair, they certainly aren’t going to help matters—for the Bucks, anyway.
Anything that gets Giannis contemplating his future for the Knicks
We all understand the lay of the land right now. If the Bucks are forced to trade Giannis, there’s no way they want to send him to New York. The Knicks cannot offer a single first-round pick until this summer, and even then, a bunch of potential suitors have the ability to offer much better packages.
Still, Giannis is going to have a say in where he lands. His current contract runs through next season, with a 2027-28 player option. That arms him with a ton of leverage. If he says he’ll only sign an extension with the Knicks, fewer teams will be inclined to call his bluff, or cobble together a first-rate offer for his services.
This is in many ways a reductive way of looking at trade negotiations. That doesn’t make it inaccurate. For their part, the Knicks appear to be placing real stock in Giannis’ leverage. They wouldn’t have interest in trading for Jrue Holiday, his former teammate, if they didn’t think it’d make them a more attractive landing spot.
Basically, the Knicks are attempting to stockpile smaller victories in hopes they coalesce into a more monumental win: The arrival of Giannis. Rivers’ indirect Embiid-over-Giannis comments are far from their biggest W. Given the current state of affairs in Milwaukee, it’s not an insignificant one, either.