SNY's Ian Begley's reported on Thursday that there is more than just speculation when it comes to rumors of Giannis Antetokounmpo potentially joining the New York Knicks in the future.
"What we're looking at for the Knicks is championship or bust, basically," Begley said on The Zach Lowe Show. "Because you fire Tom Thibodeau getting to the conference finals, you change the coach, the expectation is you get a step further at least. And I think that's the expectation from the top of the organization down.
"So I do think there could be something there in the future, because if things don't end the way the Knicks want them to end this season, you're going into the offseason where Giannis is extension-eligible, will have some more leverage in terms of maybe deciding where he goes, where he doesn't go. So little more leverage there that he didn't have this offseason, and the Knicks will be hungry to make a push for a championship roster.
"This is something to keep an eye on. I don't think anything is there now, but certainly depending on how things go in-season, it's something that we'll probably be re-visiting."
Ian Begley says "could be something there" with Giannis rumors
All of this analysis from Begley holds up. New York absolutely took a big step forward in terms of getting closer to their goal of winning an NBA championship this past season, earning their first trip to the Eastern Conference Finals in a quarter century. By doing that and then moving on from Thibs, the front office made it clear that they have higher aspirations, and that they're shooting for the stars, not looking to stay comfortable.
By listing New York as the only place he would like to play outside of Milwaukee, Giannis put the Knicks in an interesting position. They know that they could potentially acquire the superstar next summer, and falling short of their goal of a championship in the upcoming season would put them one step closer to going all-in on Antetokounmpo.
As Begley says, all this means little as of right now. The Knicks can't focus any of their energy on future possibilities right now with a contending roster already on their hands. The mission of reaching the NBA mountaintop remains the same. But in the back of their mind, they can take comfort in knowing that if they fail, there is an obvious next step to take.
Of course, there's still no guarantee that Giannis would ultimately make the move to New York. Having interest does not equate to making that career-altering decision. At the same time, I won't fault any Knicks fans already dreaming of the exciting possibilities.