The Giannis Antetokounmpo sweepstakes are off and running, and the New York Knicks figure to play a prominent role in the proceedings. They were, after all, his preferred landing spot just last summer, and they boast a roster nearly full of movable parts.
Since they're mid-sprint in the NBA championship race, though, they don't have the roster-rebuilding tools the Milwaukee Bucks are surely seeking. So, in order to bring the two-time MVP to the Big Apple, they'll need the kind of outside-the-box creativity that ropes in another trade partner who can up the long-term appeal on Milwaukee's end.
Perhaps the Chicago Bulls are ready to chase something other than perpetual mediocrity and believe Karl-Anthony Towns' stardom, scoring, and spacing could help accelerate the development of Matas Buzelis and Josh Giddey. Because if the Bulls are big KAT fans, then the Knicks might be in busine
If more asset-rich franchises are hesitant to go in full-throttle pursuit of Antetokounmpo—due to their unreadiness, any worries of mid-season rhythym disruption, or perhaps his own quietly worrying injury trouble—then this offer might be good enough, even if it's not quite as good as it looks on first glance.
Because the trade really doesn't deliver three first-round picks. They'd technically make the transaction log, but one would be the top-eight protected pick the Knicks are owed from the Washington Wizards, and another would be the lottery-protected first the Bulls are getting from the Portland Trail Blazers. Both could wind up being second-round picks.
Still, this package would include an actual future first from Chicago (perhaps with light protection attached) and then two unprotected future swaps from New York. Beyond that, the Bucks would be getting a bunch of usable veterans on expiring contracts, who could be flipped before the deadline for additional assets, and then Dadiet, a 20-year-old, 2024 first-round pick, who still might thrive in a more developmental-focused environment.
It's a legitimate offer, even if it's not the strongest package you could put together on the trade machine. And it's one that would be an absolute no-brainer for New York.
Even with the Knicks showing signs of life again, there are major questions about the playoff viability of the Towns-Jalen Brunson pairing. Swap in Antetokounmpo for Towns, though, and those go out the window. Brunson would still have a devastating screen partner to work two-man magic with, only that player, a former Defensive Player of the Year, would be able to erase just about all of the defensive concerns around Brunson.
And New York would still have Mikal Bridges, Josh Hart, OG Anunoby, Miles McBride, and Mitchell Robinson—i.e., high-level options for however coach Mike Brown wants to set the lineup.
Truth be told, if there's an Antetokounmpo offer that doesn't include Brunson, then it probably makes sense for the Knicks. If the Bulls see Towns as a real get, though, that would clear up what's bound to be a complicated, multi-team effort to bring Antetokounmpo to NY.