Zach Lowe of The Ringer has heard some pretty wild Giannis Antetokounmpo-to-the-New York Knicks three-team trade scenarios since it’s come out that the Portland Trail Blazers have “long admired” Mikal Bridges. One of the hypotheticals bandied about to him involved New York landing not just the two-time MVP, but Jrue Holiday as well.
If there is any basis to this musing, go ahead and sign the Knicks up for it yesterday. Even at 35 years old, Holiday would be a huge addition to a squad gutting its depth that also needs a frisky point-of-attack defender. His familiarity playing—and winning a title—with Giannis doesn’t hurt, either.
This idea would seem beyond farfetched if not for Jake Fischer of The Stein Line reporting that Portland might be willing to facilitate Giannis’ relocation, and has preexisting interest in Bridges. The Blazers have control of the Milwaukee Bucks’ first-round picks in 2028, 2029, and 2030 via swap rights. If they’re willing to part with one, two, or all of them in exchange for Bridges, the Knicks’ odds of nabbing Antetokounmpo go through the roof.
Zach Lowe poured cold water on the Giannis-and-Jrue to the Knicks idea
“There was a wild rumor going around for the last 72 hours or so about a three-team trade,” Lowe explains at around the 15-minute mark of The Zach Lowe Show. “I say ‘wild rumor,’ because I have not gotten anyone who would be tangentially involved to say that it’s real, or any of it is real…And I heard a couple of different versions of it. One of them had the Knicks getting both Giannis and Jrue Holiday, which would make sense, because if the Knicks are trading multiple [players] for one, they’re hurting their depth…”
“The Bucks get some money. Let’s just say Jerami Grant—I can’t remember what it was—and the rights to some or all of their picks back from the Blazers,” he continued. “I was like, ‘What’s Portland getting?’ And in one version, they’re getting [Karl-Anthony Towns], and in another version, they’re getting KAT and Bridges. And I’m like, why are they surrendering these super valuable trade assets to add KAT’s $60 million-whatever contract to a .500 team? It didn’t pass the smell test for me.”
Lowe’s conclusion is ultimately the right one. The sheer breadth of salaries involved here makes the framework difficult to pull off midseason. The rough outlines of it would have to look something like this with Milwaukee getting back the rights to its draft picks:
Justifying this deal is easier for the Knicks than anyone else. The Blazers would really have to believe those Bucks swaps wouldn’t be worth much, and like the idea of Towns’ spacing alongside the rest of its roster. That perhaps isn’t a gargantuan reach, but it’s a reach all the same.
Milwaukee regaining control of its own picks in 2028, 2029, and 2030 would be massive. Whether that’s enough for it to accept a package that doesn’t feature a budding young player or other first-rounders is debatable.
Giannis-to-the-Knicks is an offseason move
Getting Giannis to the Knicks will be complicated no matter when it happens. But it verges on impossibly difficult now, when they don’t have a single first-round pick to include.
That changes over the summer. New York will gain access to two first-rounders, and all of its most important salary-matching tools will remain on the books.
Though the field of suitors for Giannis is bound to increase during the offseason, the Knicks will need his help swinging a deal regardless of how many other squads are making offers. And it just so happens his leverage increases over the summer, too.
As for the final form of any three-or-more-team, it remains to be seen. There is so little about how this plays out that we know for sure. We can be absolutely certain, though, any Giannis-to-the-Knicks scenario is more likely to “pass the smell test” during the offseason.