Giannis Antetokounmpo officially returning to the Milwaukee Bucks has all sorts of trickle-down effects on the New York Knicks. The most important of them is, somehow, not being talked about enough.
New York’s 2025-26 championship stock is trending further up.
As many already suspected, the two-time MVP has no plans to request a trade. The Bucks bringing back his older brother, Thanasis Antetokounmpo, on a guaranteed deal marks the end of Giannis “exploring options,” according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.
This won’t sit right with teams hoping the superstar would push for an imminent change of scenery. For the Knicks, though, it just means they have one fewer potential threat to compete against as they look to snare their first title since 1973.
Giannis would have created another contender outside New York
In a world that revolved around the Knicks, any Giannis sweepstakes would end with him wearing orange and blue. That was never going to happen. Not right now, anyway. New York doesn’t have the assets to outbid others for the NBA champ. The team also took one of the few trade chips it had off the table for the next six months by signing Mikal Bridges to an extension.
So if Giannis wound up requesting a trade, he’d have landed somewhere else. And in doing so, he’d have forged another title threat with which the Knicks needed to contend.
Sure, seeing him shipped to the Western Conference could have helped their chances within the East. But there’s no guarantee a deal plays out that way. The Atlanta Hawks, Miami Heat, and Toronto Raptors all loom as threats to enter any bidding war. The Detroit Pistons have the assets to make something happen as well. Even the Cleveland Cavaliers could have gotten involved if they put one or more of their own stars in play.
Having him in the West is also just a temporary solution. The Knicks will have to thwart one of those squads to win a title. The Houston Rockets, Oklahoma City Thunder, San Antonio Spurs, Dallas Mavericks, or Golden State Warriors all become more imposing with Giannis in the fold. At least two of them, in fact, would be billed as championship favorites out of the gate (Houston and OKC).
New York should prefer him on this version of the Bucks. Going through Giannis-plus-a-bunch-of-dudes during one of the first three rounds beats out having to potentially clash with an indomitable powerhouse in the NBA Finals
Oh, yeah, there’s one other thing…
This update also comes with one other possibly huge benefit: New York has a better shot at trading for him later.
The Knicks will have actual first-round picks to include in packages next summer. While they will still need an assist from Giannis himself to make any deal happen, their chances are nil if he’s moved right now. And in the event he is jettisoned before the 2026 offseason, that also means he won’t be dealt away again. No team is acquiring him without an ironclad promise he’s in it for the long haul.
Essentially, then, the Knicks win twice over by Giannis staying put. The pipe dream of eventually acquiring him remains alive, and their immediate championship odds are better for it.