Go ahead and circle Tuesday, October 28 on your calendar, New York Knicks fans. That is the first time they will meetup with Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks during the 2025-26 season—which also happens to make it their first opportunity to send the two-time MVP a clear-as-day message: Your team is further away from contention than it thinks, and here’s what you’re missing.
No, beating Giannis’ team during the first leg of the schedule isn’t going to prompt an on-the-spot trade request from The Greek Freak. But it just might remind him of the fragile line Milwaukee is toeing.
The Bucks waived-and-stretched Damian Lillard, leaving a $22.5 million dead-money hit on their books for the next half-decade, so that they could sign Myles Turner. Even when weighed in tandem with their other signings, no one expects them to be title threats. They are instead trying to buy time. Remaining semi-relevant this year could keep Giannis juuuust happy enough until next summer, at which point the Bucks will have the ability to dangle three first-round picks in pursuit of a legitimate co-star.
This plan is to some extent admirable. It is also delicate—rife with risk, and frankly, unlikely to do more than delay the inevitable. That is why the Knicks and other teams continue to monitor and plan around Giannis’ potential availability.
The Knicks have made their intestions clear
When we say “plan around,” we mean plan around. It is no accident the Knicks extended Mikal Bridges on a deal that can still be moved this season. Nor is it a coincidence that they haven’t even broached a Karl-Anthony Towns extension.
Heck, the absence of Mitchell Robinson extension negotiations speaks volumes, too. He may be most valuable to New York as an expiring contract headed into the trade deadline.
The Knicks are clearly hot on Giannis’ trail. Granted, this is far from an exclusive club. And without a first-round pick to trade until next summer, New York needs all the help it can get.
If and when he does request a trade, the Knicks will need him to push for a deal to The Big Apple. Their best packages might hold some appeal to Milwaukee in a vacuum if it's looking to remain competitive post-Giannis, but there’s no plausible way they win the Giannis sweepstakes without an assist from the NBA champion himself.
New York can show Giannis all that could be
Making a strong impression on Giannis out of the gate would be a good start. There's no better way to earn his respect, incite longing, and force his consideration than by showing him all that he's missing—all that he could be part of.
Playing alongside another top-15 player in Jalen Brunson. Teaming up with properly sized wings defenders in Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby, and/or Josh Hart. Being surrounded by more complementary ball-handling. Working in a more creative offense that has the chance to reach unstoppability under head coach Mike Brown. The list goes on.
One game in the first half of the season isn’t going to make-or-break this situation. It can, however, contribute to Giannis realizing he won’t win another title with the Bucks. And if the Knicks are among the teams who expose that harsh truth first, it should keep them on his radar when he eventually gets the itch to play elsewhere.