Impact of Knicks Firing Tom Thibodeau on Potential Giannis Trade amid NBA Rumors
The New York Knicks acted quickly and decisively with head coach Tom Thibodeau after losing in the Eastern Conference Finals. Might they do the same when it comes to addressing the roster?
The Knicks announced Tuesday they fired Thibodeau.
The Athletic's James L. Edwards III and Fred Katz reported Sunday that Thibodeau had the support of team president Leon Rose and star guard Jalen Brunson. Still, the final decision was in the hands of team governor James Dolan, whose opinion is now clear.
According to Shams Charania of ESPN, New York isn't expected to sit on its hands and could make meaningful changes to the roster as well.
Surveying the trade landscape, nothing would be bigger from that standpoint than acquiring Giannis Antetokounmpo from the Milwaukee Bucks.
Antetokounmpo has yet to request a trade from Milwaukee, but SNY's Ian Begley reported in May that "it would be foolish to count the Knicks" if a bidding war commences.
Tom Haberstroh of Yahoo Sports considered multiple trade avenues for the Knicks, one of which centered on Antetokounmpo. In return for the two-time MVP, the Knicks sent Karl-Anthony Towns, Tyler Kolek, the Washington Wizards' 2026 first-round pick and pick swaps in 2026 and 2028 to the Bucks.
For now, you'd still consider Giannis to be a long shot for New York, especially since we don't even know who's coaching the team.
Just as an idea, though, it looks more likely after Thibodeau's ouster the Knicks could do something as drastic as trade Towns for Antetokounmpo.
KAT's poor defense wasn't the sole reason the team got eliminated by the Indiana Pacers, but he was a liability on that end of the floor. Anybody who watched Towns on the Minnesota Timberwolves knew it was going to be an issue in the postseason.
After just one year, maybe the Knicks are ready to move the five-time All-Star on.
The Bucks' willingness to take Towns could present a hurdle in a theoretical deal for Antetokounmpo. They're presumably pivoting toward a rebuild if they're trading their franchise cornerstone, so it doesn't make a lot of sense to add a marquee big who turns 30 in November.
Flipping KAT down the road would be tricky too when he's owed $57.1 million in 2026-27 and has a $61 million player option the following year. His trade value probably won't climb much higher than it is now.
A pursuit of Giannis by the Knicks might require a third team to get involved, a contender to whom Towns could be rerouted.
Obviously there are still a lot of dominoes left to fall before this becomes anything more than a hypothetical. But the offseason has hardly started for New York and Dolan has already thrown everyone for a loop.
Nothing can be ruled out ahead of the 2025-26 season.
