Knicks' projected chance of trading for superstar shouldn't surprise anyone

Trade rumors hovered around the New York Knicks until they traded for Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns over the summer. New York sent five first-round picks and a first-round pick swap to Brooklyn for Bridges, so nobody suspected the team would trade for Towns at the end of the offseason.

The Knicks' treasure chest of draft assets is no more. New York had to part with Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo to get KAT. The Knicks elevated their starting five, but their depth is far from what it used to be.

New York still has tradable contracts but won't be making a major splash. However, that hasn't kept the Knicks from being mentioned as a potential landing spot for Giannis Antetokounmpo. NBA insider Marc Stein suspected that if the former NBA MVP were to request a trade, New York would be one of the four teams (subscription required) at the top of the list vying for his services.

Stein said that rival teams suspect that one of the Knicks' motivations to trade for KAT had to do with Antetokounmpo. Again, this is all speculation. New York traded for Towns five weeks ago. There's no guarantee that Antetokounmpo will ever leave Milwaukee, but the team's poor start to the season is cause for concern.

Do Knicks have a real shot at trading for Giannis if he requests a trade?

On Monday, New York Post's Stefan Bondy reported the Knicks' chance of landing Antetokounmpo is bleak.

"As a result, a source deemed it 'very unlikely' the Knicks can find a way to land Antetokounmpo."

Stein listed the Nets, Heat, and Warriors as the three other teams that would likely pursue Giannis. Brooklyn could put its draft assets to good use by trading for Antetokounmpo, but why would he want to go to a team worse off than Milwaukee? Of course, Giannis' opinion only matters if the Bucks do him a favor by trading him to one of his preferred destinations.

The Knicks' front office worked magic to construct the current roster. As brilliant as they are, getting Giannis to Manhattan would be nearly impossible under the collective bargaining agreement. Does that mean New York won't try if he becomes available? No. Every team in the NBA would jump at the opportunity to acquire Antetokounmpo.

The Giannis discourse could be all for naught, as he could remain in Wisconsin. However, where there's smoke, there's fire. Antetokounmpo could request a trade before the season's end. Hopefully, he will end up in the Western Conference if he does.