Jalen Brunson Was Reportedly 'Untouchable' in Giannis Trade Talks with Knicks, Bucks

The New York Knicks reportedly declined to make All-Star guard Jalen Brunson available in trade talks involving Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo this offseason.

According to Sam Amick of The Athletic, Brunson was made "untouchable" during the discussions. Amick went on to speculate that Karl-Anthony Towns, OG Anunoby and Mitchell Robinson may have been on the table, however.

ESPN's Shams Charania reported earlier this week that the Knicks were the only team Giannis expressed interest in joining via trade. While negotiations took place, the Bucks reportedly felt New York's offer wasn't strong enough, and the Knicks didn't believe Milwaukee was serious about moving on from Antetokounmpo.

Originally a second-round draft pick out of Villanova, Brunson spent his first four NBA seasons with the Dallas Mavericks, primarily in a bench role.

However, after averaging 21.6 points per game in 18 playoff starts in 2022, Brunson was one of the most highly sought after players in free agency, and the Knicks landed him with a four-year, $104 million deal.

The decision to sign Brunson paid immediate dividends, as he averaged what was then a career-high 24.0 points per game in his first season in New York.

Brunson has been even better the past two years, earning a pair of All-Star nods, two All-NBA Second Team selections and two top-10 finishes in the NBA MVP voting.

After averaging a career-high 28.7 points per game in 2023-24, Brunson was even more efficient and complete last season, averaging 26.0 points and a career-high 7.3 assists per contest, while also shooting 48.8 percent from the field.

Brunson has become the face of the franchise in New York, and while acquiring a two-time NBA MVP and one-time NBA Finals MVP in Giannis would be massive, doing it at the expense of losing Brunson may not have been worth it.

However, the duo of Brunson and Giannis could potentially be dominant since they seemingly have complementary skill sets that would be difficult for opposing teams to shut down completely.

It is unclear exactly what the Knicks offered for Giannis, but nothing came of it, and the Greek star is now set to begin his 13th season in Milwaukee.

On Wednesday, Giannis told reporters he was committed to the Bucks, but he also left the door open for a change of heart, saying it would be "human" if he decides to change his mind at some point.

That suggests talks between the Bucks and Knicks could possibly be rekindled during or after the 2025-26 campaign depending on how things go for Milwaukee this season.

Even without Giannis, the Knicks are the favorites to go the distance in the Eastern Conference along with the Cleveland Cavaliers, but if they still can't get over the hump, it could make the idea of acquiring Antetokounmpo even more attractive.