If you had told New York Knicks fans a couple of years ago that their favorite team would trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo, chances are they would've been thrilled. There are still plenty of you out there who are rooting for that scenario, but the circumstances have changed. They traded for Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns in 2024 to win a championship, an outcome that looks less likely after they dropped Game 3 to the Hawks on Thursday.
It would be a disappointment if New York made it to the conference finals again without taking a step further. They have to make it to the NBA Finals, at least, so a first-round exit would be disastrous, and that's putting it rather nicely.
The season isn't over, although it probably feels that way for a lot of you. A 2-1 deficit isn't the end of the world, but it could turn out to be the end if the Knicks can't claw their way back into it to move on to the second round.
New York would probably be in the mix for Antetokounmpo regardless, unless it won a championship, but an early exit would make a Giannis trade feel far more likely.
Knicks are steering right toward Giannis Antetokounmpo
Blowing up this roster for Antetokounmpo would be a failure because the team, as currently constructed, was supposed to deliver a title for New York. The front office didn't give up unprotected first-round picks for Mikal Bridges for fun. They didn't trade Julius Randle, Donte DiVincenzo, and a protected first-round pick for Karl-Anthony Towns to come up short.
Pivoting to Giannis, assuming he will be available (and Milwaukee would be moved enough by a New York offer), could "save" the Knicks and lead them toward the title they so desperately crave, but it'd still be a major risk. He's still very much a top player in the league when he's healthy, but the injury concerns aren't going anywhere, and he's not getting any younger. It's a move that could blow up in their face, instead of saving it.
The problem is that New York will have to dig in on trying to win a championship, rather than pivot away from that. The Knicks have made it just far enough to where they can't turn back, especially not with Jalen Brunson on board, and that, plus ending their season far sooner than expected, could justify cashing in on Antetokounmpo.
Hey, maybe it would work out in the end, and nightmare would flip back into a dream, but you know better than to bank on that happening.
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