They say that where there’s smoke, there’s fire. So by that logic, the noise about the New York Knicks trading for Giannis Antetokounmpo is a five-alarm inferno.
Breadcrumbs have been getting laid for a while. Most recently, the Knicks have expressed interest in having Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd replace Tom Thibodeau. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to connect the dots, and see that New York may be trying to increase its appeal to Antetokounmpo, who was coached by Kidd for three-plus seasons in Milwaukee, and is a known fan of him.
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst also added more fuel to the raging blaze that is Giannis-to-New York chatter right before the Orange and Blue were eliminated from the Eastern Conference Finals, noting on one of his TV spots that he’s “not discounting the Celtics and the Knicks” in the race to acquire Antetokounmpo.
This makes sense on its face. If Giannis is actually going to request a trade from the Bucks, he’ll want to land with a better-off contender. The Knicks are that. But can they remain that while giving up what it would take to acquire Antetokounmpo? And more importantly, is their best trade package enough to get Milwaukee to bite?
This is what the Knicks’ all-in package for Giannis Antetokounmpo looks like
After surrendering control of seven first-round picks (six outright, one swap) last offseason to land Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns, the Knicks cannot trade an outright first-rounder this summer. They have the Washington Wizards’ 2026 pick, but it turns into a pair of seconds if the Wiz finish inside the top 10 of the lottery, which they’ll almost assuredly do.
Any package New York puts together will be assembled around talent and swaps. Given the team’s current assets, this is what an all-in offer looks like:
Other sweeteners can be added into the equation, including Pacome Dadiet and Tyler Kolek. The Knicks can also include some seconds, and rally a third team to come in and soak up some additional salary to prevent the Bucks from getting hard-capped.
Still, this has to be the overall framework. Ideally, the Knicks would send out Karl-Anthony Towns as the primary salary-matching rather than OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges. But they must give the Bucks a reason to think about this offer, and getting both Anunoby and Bridges is more valuable to Milwaukee than taking on Towns-plus-filler alone.
Yet, while this is a lot for the Knicks to give up relative to their pile of assets, it may not be enough for the Bucks to pounce.
Getting win-now talent will be important so long as Milwaukee doesn’t control its own first-rounder until 2030. But leaving this trade without the promise of a single additional pick would be a bummer for the franchise. And remember, swap rights aren’t guaranteed to convey. Their value to the Bucks is minimal, unless they envision New York imploding by the time 2030 rolls around.
Giannis to New York is possible, but it's also a pipe dream
To be sure, there are other routes a Giannis-to-the-Knicks trade package can go. The two sides can expand the deal so that Milwaukee gets Towns and Bridges or Towns and Anunoby, in addition to everything else New York can offer.
No matter what, though, the underlying problem remains the same: Other teams will have packages that give the Bucks more draft equity or higher-end prospects in addition to win-now players with which to begin their post-Giannis era. The Celtics, Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets, San Antonio Spurs, Brooklyn Nets, and Toronto Raptors all fall under this bucket. And that’s just off-rip. The list is likely longer.
If the Knicks are going to get Antetokounmpo, one of two things must happen. Other teams will have to desperately want Towns, Anunoby and/or Bridges, and be willing to give up assets that appeal to Milwaukee for them.
Failing that, Giannis must give the Bucks a James Harden-style ultimatum, insisting he wants to land with the Knicks, and only the Knicks. Anything less than that, and New York can kiss its chances at Antetokounmpo goodbye.