Knicks Were Right Not to Make Giannis Trade With Bucks Amid NBA Rumors
The New York Knicks and Milwaukee Bucks had engaged in conversations involving a trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo, Shams Charania told Andrew Shulz on the FLAGRANT podcast.
"Conversations were had, offers were made," he said, referring to a two-week period in which "the Knicks knew that Giannis knew he wanted to play there."
He would not go into details surrounding the offers that were made because there was no framework for a deal, but the idea that the Knicks were actively discussing a deal for Giannis suggests they were ready to go all-in this off-season after appearing in the Eastern Conference Finals.
It is for that reason, their deepest playoff run since 2000, that the organization was right not to pull the proverbial trigger in a trade for the former league MVP.
The Knicks are a good team with the tools to advance to the NBA Finals. They have smart, veteran players and a superstar face of the franchise in Jalen Brunson, and can compete with any team in the conference. Blowing that up by trading away key pieces to bring in Antetokounmpo in hopes that he can mesh with Brunson and whatever is left of the roster, in hopes of winning a championship this year, would have done more damage than good.
Boston is not the same Celtics team that rolled through the league two seasons ago, at least while Jayson Tatum is on the sidelines, recovering from a torn Achilles. Ditto the Indianapolis Pacers, who are without Tyrese Halliburton for the same reason.
The Philadelphia 76ers have been excellent thus far in the 2025-26 season, but they will still be looking to re-establish themselves while Orlando and Cleveland still do not pass the eye test as far as legitimate conference champions go.
This is the year for the Knicks to get where they have been trying to go since they last won the NBA title in 1973; to compete for the championship.
On paper, Giannis' arrival in the Big Apple would have been a big move that immediately catapulted the Knicks to the top of the basketball world in the eyes of pundits and fans alike, but there is no guarantee he is the piece that gets them over the hump.
We saw what happened when Kevin Durant went to Phoenix, the supposed missing piece that got the Suns back to the finals and closer to the NBA title. Luka and the Lakers fell short last season.
There is no sure thing when it comes to a single player making up the difference between a good team and great team, and the price tag for bringing him aboard likely would have been such that important role players on the Knicks team would have ended up in Milwaukee, giving New York a depth problem that would haunt them in key situations.
Would Antetokounmpo playing in New York City, for one of the game's most popular and beloved teams been a huge moment for the NBA? Absolutely. Would it have given the Knicks momentum? Yes. Would that momentum have been sustainable and result in the NBA title that has eluded that franchise for over five decades?
Who knows.
That uncertainty alone makes not signing him the right call by Knicks officials.
At least for now.
