According to ESPN insider Shams Charania, there is still a possibility that Bucks phenom Giannis Antetokounmpo could request a trade at some point this summer if he feels that Milwaukee isn't making moves to build a championship-caliber roster. If that does happen, the Knicks will be one of the many teams lining up to try to land the former MVP.
To be clear, Antetokounmpo has made no indication he wants out yet. In fact, he has even stated that he wants to win another title in Milwaukee. That said, it has been reported that he is closely watching what the Bucks do this season to build a roster that can compete for another title.
Antetokounmpo and the Bucks will be without Damian Lillard next season, after the star point guard went down with an Achilles injury in the playoffs. They also have several key free agents that they need to make decisions on, including Bobby Portis, Brook Lopez, and Kevin Porter Jr.
They will not have new talent coming in via the draft this upcoming season either, as their lone pick was used on draft-and-stash prospect Bogoljub Marković from Serbia.
Knicks named as one of the teams interested
According to a report from the New York Post, the Knicks, Nets, Warriors, Heat, and Spurs were named as teams that would be interested in landing Antetokounmpo.
That shouldn't come as a surprise, as almost every team in the NBA would probably give the Bucks a call if it became public knowledge that the Greek Freak wanted out. The path to actually getting him to New York would be more complicated.
For starters, it would probably involve Antetokounmpo requesting to go specifically to the Knicks. There are plenty of teams around the league that could put together a better trade package, especially after the Knicks sent out half a dozen first-round picks to land Mikal Bridges last summer.
It would make the Knicks immediate championship favorites
Without getting too far ahead of myself, if everything unraveled perfectly for the Knicks, the move would catapult them up the ladder of contenders. A pairing of Antetokounmpo and Jalen Brunson sounds almost too good to be true.
Antetokounmpo is an elite defender, even at this age, which would help insulate one of Brunson's bigger weaknesses. On top of that, he is a monster in transition and would provide the Knicks with elite vertical spacing. There is a long way to go before anything like that becomes possible, but every move the Bucks make will be closely watched.