The NBA trade deadline is well behind us and Giannis Antetokounmpo is still on the Milwaukee Bucks. That solves that, right? It would – if any NBA fan believed that the superstar forward staying put in February means that he won't still want to jump ship in June. While acquiring the 2021 Finals MVP would have been great for the New York Knicks, it was the best-case scenario for them that Giannis didn't get moved anywhere. They can revisit this in the summer with more to offer, and having given this core a real pair of chances to get the job done.
Lack of Giannis deal primes Knicks to make improved offer in offseason
Simply put, the Knicks can trade two more first-round draft picks in the offseason than they could have at February's deadline. Especially if New York is still atop the list of Antetokounmpo's preferred destinations, it makes plenty of sense that the Bucks would want to hold out.
It's true that teams around the league won't be able to make as strong of offers with regard to the players included, given that some of their contracts will have expired. This applies to the Knicks in the case of Mitchell Robinson.
However, if the Bucks are going to be rebuilding, it's easy to see Milwaukee's front office preferring the scales to be tipped in the direction of draft capital than that of talent that can win them games early on. Other teams will also be able to offer more in the way of picks once the offseason is upon them.
The Knicks, though, were never really in the conversation for Antetokounmpo because the Bucks were so incredibly enamored with the assets that they can offer in return. If they continue to be in the conversation in the offseason, the additional picks simply help grease the wheels.
Resilient Knicks core deserves a second chance at NBA title chase
Outside of the logistics on the business side of things, it would honestly have just felt weird to break this Knicks core up so soon after it was put together. In their first season together, they made the Eastern Conference Finals. That was the first time the organization had made it that far in the playoffs since 2000, the year during which now-reserve guard Miles McBride was born.
The team decided to make a change in the coaching department, bringing in Mike Brown to lead the way and implement his system. Antetokounmpo is talented enough that a midseason trade for him would not have represented any sort of admission that the Knicks' vision had failed. But it's good to know that this group will get another go at it, no matter what happens in the summer.
From the series-winning 3-pointer from Jalen Brunson against the Detroit Pistons to their gritty win against the Boston Celtics in the next round, the 2024-25 Knicks gave fans a plethora of exciting moments. For all of the discussion about Karl-Anthony Towns on a daily basis, it is seldom mentioned that he single-handedly led the Knicks to a 20-point comeback in the Eastern Conference Finals: with a 20-point fourth quarter of his own.
It's great that this team is going to get another run at a title chase, especially with defensive pests Jose Alvarado and Jeremy Sochan now in tow.