Even as the New York Knicks continue to flex their muscles as East favorites, Giannis Antetokounmpo trade watch doesn’t stop—particularly when a bunch of could-be suitors may bow out of the inevitable offseason sweepstakes because they lag too far behind the San Antonio Spurs and reigning champion Oklahoma City Thunder.
Writing specifically about the Houston Rockets, Jake Fischer of The Stein Line noted that “the gap between Oklahoma City and San Antonio and the rest of the West clearly appears to have widened after the Rockets finished second in the conference last season and then acquired Durant.”
What a sentiment. It reads like hyperbole. And yet, it’s entirely true. The Spurs may seem catchable after their Game 1 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, but the Thunder appear more untouchable than ever following their shellacking of the Los Angeles Lakers to open Round 2 despite missing Jalen Williams and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scoring under 20 points while committing seven turnovers.
You better believe this will be part of the calculus when teams look at trading for Giannis. At least one major suitor has already been crossed off the board, no doubt at least in part by using this logic. All of which is terrific news for the Knicks.
Giannis’ market could be thinner than you’d expect
Make no bones about it, New York will need plenty of help from the two-time MVP himself if it’s going to acquire him. Part and parcel of that assistance is him ruling out a bunch of destinations. As it turns out, the Thunder and Spurs may be doing that on his behalf.
Fischer seems skeptical the Rockets will entertain going all-in for Giannis. He mentions the Portland Trail Blazers have interest, but if Houston is too far behind OKC and San Antonio for Antetokounmpo to bridge the gap, then Deni Avdija and company certainly fall into that bucket.
A team like the Golden State Warriors might throw caution to the wind, because Stephen Curry exists. But Giannis has eyes. He knows full well that a geriartic Golden State core adding him won’t nudge the team into the Spurs’ or Thunder’s airspace. Like Fischer also notes, Antetokounmpo will have to be sold on certain destinations, and we know from this past summer, he seems at least semi-willing to try dictating where he goes.
The Knicks may be building up a position of power in the Giannis sweepstakes
The best way to sell Giannis on wanting to join your team, aside from being stationed near airports with direct flights to Greece? Proving that you’re a viable Finals threat.
This automatically gives every team in the East a leg-up. It’s especially useful for a Knicks squad that’s increasingly looking like a juggernaut. They have more championship equity without Giannis than the Miami Heat, Toronto Raptors, and as things appear right now, both the Detroit Pistons and Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Knicks are so convincing right now that holding out hope for Giannis no longer profiles as Plan A. It is a contingency—something Giannis himself may actively need to push for because New York won’t seek it out.
Plenty can change over the next few months. That doesn’t include the Knicks’ unspectacular collection of assets. They will always trail most of the field if this comes to a bidding war.
But if it comes down to fewer teams chasing him aggressively because the Spurs and Thunder remain too daunting, it is immediately, and unequivocally, a major boon for New York—assuming it still wants to be in the Giannis business. Which, at this moment, is really, actually, genuinely debatable.
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