Knicks Reportedly Monitoring Giannis Trade Rumors, Delaying Bridges Contract Extension

Mikal Bridges is hoping to get an extension from the New York Knicks this offseason, but he might have to wait a while.

Per SNY's Ian Begley, the Knicks are monitoring the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade situation in Milwaukee. If New York were to extend Bridges, it wouldn't be able to trade him for six months, so the team could be holding off on an extension until after it knows Antetokounmpo's stance on a possible trade.

"The Knicks and all the other teams are kind of keeping an eye on Milwaukee and what may or may not happen there," Begley said (35:30 mark). "I think one of the reasons why (Bridges) has not been extended yet is because once you extend him, you cannot trade him for six months and I think until the Giannis stuff is fully settled, and I don't think it's fully settled yet... When he does extend, I think that tells you Giannis is put to bed, is off the table in a sense."

Heading into the offseason, Antetokounmpo potentially requesting a trade was one of the biggest factors at play not only for the Bucks, but for just about every team as they awaited his decision.

ESPN's Shams Charania reported in May that Antetokounmpo had "not made any firm decisions on his Bucks future" but "is open-minded about exploring whether his best long-term fit is remaining in Milwaukee or playing elsewhere."

Since then, there have been more signs indicating that Antetokounmpo was content to stay in Milwaukee.

ESPN's Brian Windhorst said last month that teams had "come to terms" with the fact that Antetokounmpo didn't want to be traded.

More recently, Antetokounmpo said that he'll "probably" stay with the Bucks and that he "loves Milwaukee." Team president Peter Feigin also said that the two sides are "in a good place."

"We kind of laugh internally, it's where we've been for 10 years," Feigin said on NBA TV earlier this week. "Giannis loves Milwaukee, Milwaukee loves Giannis. We're in a good place. We feel great about it. It's business as usual... We're looking forward to next season."

Only Antetokounmpo knows what he plans to do, but it certainly appears as if he isn't going anywhere this offseason.

Still, it makes sense that New York and other teams are waiting to make big decisions until after Antetokounmpo confirms that he doesn't want a trade. The addition of Antetokounmpo to the Knicks would turn them from a title contender to a title favorite.

Even if New York can't land Antetokounmpo this offseason, the Knicks are still in a good position to make a Finals run.

And Bridges is well deserving of an extension. The swingman had a great first year in New York, putting up 17.6 points per game as a great third option to Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns.

As it stands now, Bridges is set to play the 2025-26 campaign on the final year of his four-year, $90.9 million contract.