With summer league upon us and most of the valuable free agents snatched up from the open market, one of the few intriguing offseason storylines remaining is whether Giannis Antetokounmpo could request a trade from the Bucks. Well, today Antetokounmpo splashed a little water on those fiery rumors, telling streamer IShowSpeed that he would "probably" stay in Milwaukee.
Antetokounmpo noted in the stream that a lot of people had tried to convince him to go and play for New York, before saying that he would probably stay in Milwaukee and that he loves it there.
Rumors began swirling that Antetokounmpo could ask out after Damian Lillard tore his Achilles in the playoffs. The Bucks eventually waived Lillard's contract to make way for the signing of center Myles Turner, a move that Antetokounmpo was reportedly unhappy with.
Now it seems that the chatter will quiet once again. That said, if the Bucks get off to a slow start, there is no doubt that the flame will immediately reignite.
Antetokounmpo makes any team a contender
If Antetokounmpo did ask out, the phones would start ringing off the hooks in Milwaukee. The Greek Freak is still in the prime of his career and is one of the three best players in the game, while arguably being the most dominant player in the game.
In the playoffs this season, Antetokounmpo was doubled on 30 percent of his isolation possessions, according to league tracking data, the most of any player. He is impossible to guard one-on-one and is equally imposing on the defensive end of the court.
Landing Antetokounmpo remains a stretch for the Knicks
If Antetokounmpo were eventually to ask for a trade, the path to landing him remains difficult for the Knicks. A market like New York will always be linked to the biggest names, but the Knicks have limited trade resources at their disposal, and it will take a king's ransom to pry him from the Bucks.
A trade would likely mean moving center Karl-Anthony Towns. Still, the Knicks have zero tradeable first-round picks. If the Bucks were to move on from their franchise cornerstone, any offer not involving multiple unprotected first-round picks would likely result in their front office swiftly hanging up the phone.
For the dream trade to become a reality, the Knicks would need some serious leverage, and the only way for them to obtain that leverage would be for Antetokounmpo to both request a trade, and more specifically, request a trade to the Knicks.