Knicks Should Pursue Giannis Trade amid NBA Rumors Despite Playoff Run

It's entirely too early for the New York Knicks to fully focus on the 2025 NBA offseason. They are, after all, on the cusp of appearing in the Eastern Conference Finals.

While New York failed to close out the Boston Celtics on Wednesday, it will have two more chances to do so. If it can, a date with the Indiana Pacers will be on tap, and the Knicks might just be able to make their first Finals appearance since 1999.

Yet, none of this means that team president Leon Rose, general manager Scott Perry or coach Tom Thibodeau should dismiss the idea of adding Giannis Antetokounmpo should the opportunity arise this offseason.

And it might, according to ESPN's Shams Charania.

"The two-time NBA MVP has not made any firm decisions on his Bucks future after the franchise's third consecutive postseason exit in the first round, but, for the first time in his career, Antetokounmpo is open-minded about exploring whether his best long-term fit is remaining in Milwaukee or playing elsewhere, league sources told ESPN," Charania wrote on Monday.

According to Sam Amick, Eric Nehm, and David Aldridge of The Athletic, the Knicks "are expected" to make a run at Antetokounmpo if he does end up on the trade market. They should.

Yes, New York has assembled a good team that may still get past Boston and could potentially top Indiana. However, it doesn't feel like the Knicks are equipped to hang with a team like the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Finals should they get there.

Recent swings for players like OG Anunoby and Karl-Anthony Towns have paid dividends but haven't given New York an elite roster—and one could argue that Towns has fallen short of expectations this postseason.

Antetokounmpo is a two-time MVP, a nine-time All-Star and, even at 30, still one of the best four or five players on the planet. Adding someone of his caliber would give New York an elite team, provided it doesn't completely strip its roster to get a deal done.

That, of course, is the catch for the Knicks. On Monday's edition of Get Up, ESPN's Brian Windhorst reported (h/t Bleacher Report's Scott Polacek) that the Milwaukee Bucks would want both players and quality draft picks back in a deal for Antetokounmpo.

Even if the Knicks justified trading a player or two, they'd likely need to involve other teams to add an enticing package of draft capital. Other teams should easily be able to outbid them.

As Windhorst noted, however, New York could find itself in the mix with a lesser package if Antetokounmpo views it as a favorable destination. His contract does not include a no-trade clause, but Antetokounmpo could still have some say on his next destination.

"It would be better for all parties if the Bucks worked with Giannis and then there would be a contract extension put in place when he was traded," Windhorst explained. "...I don't think the Lakers or the Knicks could make an offer that's in the top five or six. But because Giannis potentially has agency in this, then you would say that his words would matter a lot."

Would New York appeal to Antetokounmpo enough for him to push for a deal with the Knicks? Perhaps. While their bold bets haven't yielded much recent success, the Knicks are a marquee franchise that has shown it is willing to aggressively chase a championship-caliber roster.

According to The Ringer's Zach Lowe, the market does interest Giannis.

"I poked around a little bit a few days ago and the initial thing I got from one person was just like some rumblings that it’s already just the big cities: One of the LA teams or one of the New York teams or maybe Miami," Lowe said on The Zach Lowe Show (h/t Kyler Fox of SI.com).

So, while a deal for Antetokounmpo may seem difficult for the Knicks, it's not impossible, and it's something New York must pursue this offseason, barring anything short of a surprise championship run.