Right now, the New York Knicks don't have the trade firepower to acquire Giannis Antetokounmpo. That seems to be the consistent theme through all the rumors and speculation. They could potentially acquire that firepower and then promptly send it all Milwaukee's way, though. It would just hurt a lot.
Tim Bontemps of The Hoop Collective Podcast recently pitched an idea that re-routes Knicks forward OG Anunoby to a third team and a boatload of picks to the Bucks:
"This is a little complicated, but if... the Knicks trade Karl Towns and OG Anunoby in a Giannis trade, OG Anunoby just auctioned off could get you an absolute metric ton of stuff. Because while OG Anunoby is not Giannis, what he is is the absolute perfect finishing piece for a title team, and there are title teams with a whole lot of stuff that OG Anunoby would be a perfect fit on."
Bontemps also concedes that it would take plenty of "jiu jitsu" to get a deal like this done, but the assets acquired in a deal like this would make Giannis a more realistic target for the Knicks immediately. In the meantime, the Knicks have (technically) one first-round pick to offer Milwaukee, and even that pick has some protections and might not convey.
We might be losing the plot here, because in this scenario, the Knicks are giving up both their second-leading scorer and best defender. Trust me, I get that you have to give up great players to get great players in return. But Anunoby is not the kind of guy a team replaces easily, both on the court and in the hearts of fans. And that still counts for something!
OG Anunoby is an essential part of the Knicks' operation
Sure, I agree with Bontemps that Anunoby would be the perfect finishing player for a title contender... Like, say, the New York Knicks.
There's a debate to be had about whether replacing KAT with Giannis straight-up would make the Knicks better. I think it would, for the record, because Giannis is still a top-five player in the league. But KAT's fit next to Jalen Brunson has been so good that it's at least worth contemplating. Replacing KAT and OG with any player, even one as dominant as Giannis, is a tougher task than it may seem.
If the Knicks can trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo, they probably should. But if the only way to make that happen is by parting with two guys who have quickly become vital parts of the success of this era of Knicks basketball, then we're bordering on dangerous territory.