Knicks quietly have a top-tier Giannis trade chip

The Giannis Antetokounmpo trade sweepstakes are about to be fired up again, and the New York Knicks are even better positioned to win them than they were over the offseason. And it’s all thanks to Mikal Bridges.

According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, Giannis and his agent, Alex Saratsis, have “started conversations with the Milwaukee Bucks about the two-time NBA MVP's future—and discussing whether his best fit is staying or elsewhere.” The Knicks figure to loom large as this situation plays out. As ESPN’s Brian Windhorst point-blank says, Giannis asked for a trade to New York over the summer:

While Antetokounmpo-to-NYC scenarios still skew toward pipe-dreamy, Bridges’ ascent makes them more realistic.

Mikal Bridges’ extension is aging like fine wine

Reactions to New York locking down Bridges on a four-year, $150 million extension this past July were mixed. It’s turning out to be a home run.

Not only did he agree to a (slightly) sub-max deal that will render him trade-eligible just before the Feb. 5 deadline, but he’s currently outplaying its overall value by leaps and bounds.

The 29-year-old is averaging 17.1 points to go along with a career high in assists (4.3) and steals (2.1). His three-point clip (44.2 percent) has never been higher, and the 62.3 percent percent conversion rate he’s posting on twos is his best since 2021-22.

Bridges’ current blend of complementary scoring, passing, and defensive playmaking is unique to the umpteenth power. Dyson Daniels is the only other player averaging at least four assists and two steals per game. Keegan Murray is the lone other name clearing two steals and one block, and he’s barely played. And among everyone averaging at least 15 points and four assists per contest, only Giannis and Nikola Jokic have a higher effective field-goal percentage.

None of this proves that Bridges is a superstar hiding in plain sight. But the bang-for-your-buck impact is off the charts. When his extension kicks in next year, he won’t even be one of the league’s 50 highest paid players.

The Knicks are in a unique position

To be sure, the Knicks are not guaranteed to swing a trade for Giannis. They aren’t going to win any bidding wars, even with Bridges’ recent standout play. They cannot offer a single outright first-round pick until the summer, and have no blue-chip youngsters around whom Milwaukee can structure its inevitable rebuild.

Still, trade negotiations do not exist in a vacuum. As Windhorst noted later, the process will amount to “Giannis instructing the Bucks where he wants to be traded, and the Bucks trying to make the best possible deal with that team.” 

Even if Milwaukee doesn’t view him as a primary building block, it doesn’t control its own first-rounder again until 2030. Bridges can perhaps keep the Bucks competitive in the interim alongside Myles Turner and Ryan Rollins, until they figure out what’s next.

Failing that, Bridges’ market value may have risen to the level at which the Knicks can parlay him into multiple first-round picks that get rerouted to Milwaukee as it embarks on a full-tilt reset. This, again, isn’t beating out top-shelf offers from the San Antonio Spurs or Atlanta Hawks, who control up to two of the Bucks’ own first-round picks. But Bridges’ value now gives New York more to work with than it had over the summer.

Other moving parts will be involved, too. Various salaries must be included to make any deal work. The Knicks would essentially be hollowing out an already-shallow rotation by consolidating multiple players into Giannis. But if he’s the guy they want, and he still wants them back, Bridges may officially be the swing factor who helps make it happen.