The Knicks likely won't be trading for Giannis Antetokounmpo this season, and if they make a move to acquire the former MVP next summer, it would ultimately mean that this season fell far short of the championship goal that New York has.
The Knicks have their eyes fixated on the Larry O'Brien trophy. In many ways, this season is make the NBA finals or bust. New York fired Tom Thibodeau after he led them to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2000. They also seem willing to move on from promising young players in an attempt to add more veterans who can contribute right now to the roster.
Landing Giannis next summer means this year was a failure
Landing a player like Antetokounmpo means effectively gutting your roster. It would require moving several starters and mortgaging your future by supplying a substantial amount of draft capital, which the Knicks would need to first acquire from a different team, or at the very least, bring a third team into the deal.
If the Knicks decide to go down that path, it would likely mean that they fell short of the goals they have for themselves this season. A season can unravel for any number of reasons. Winning a championship is hard, and there is always an element of luck involved.
For this to happen, I am talking about things within the Knicks' power. Perhaps Mike Brown's plans for a new up-tempo offense flop, or the tandem of Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns becomes too difficult to hide on defense, or Mikal Bridges has another down year.
The Knicks have plenty of questions to answer this year. The front office and ownership doubled down on the decisions they made last year by extending Bridges and committing to this core. That said, if the Knicks fade in the playoffs, uncomfortable conversations will be had.
Not a bad fall back plan, though
All of that being said, if this is a flawed roster or Brown isn't the right coach, and the Knicks do flame out in the second round of the playoffs, having the possibility of pivoting to Giannis is a far better fallback plan than most teams could ask for.
A duo of Brunson and Antetokounmpo seems more complete than Brunson and Towns, and while the supporting cast would be substantially weaker, it would be an excellent foundation to attract new players.