New Knicks Rumors on Giannis Trade Pursuit amid Karl-Anthony Towns, Current Roster Buzz

As Thursday's NBA trade deadline quickly approaches, the Milwaukee Bucks are running out of time to find a destination for star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo.

The Athletic's Sam Amick reported that the New York Knicks are among the teams that are "choosing to stay in the hunt" for Antetokounmpo for the time being.

It was previously reported this week on The Hoop Collective that the Knicks "believe in the core of this team and this roster," though star center Karl-Anthony Towns is still being discussed as a trade candidate in league circles.

Amick noted that the top suitors for Antetokounmpo ahead of Thursday's deadline include the Knicks, Golden State Warriors, Minnesota Timberwolves and Miami Heat. However, the offers being sent to the Bucks reportedly "were still believed to be so underwhelming — in the eyes of rival executives and agents — that this saga looked likely to extend into the summertime."

James L. Edwards III of The Athletic explained the situation from New York's perspective, noting that the team likely doesn't have enough assets to convince Milwaukee to ship away the two-time NBA MVP.

"The Bucks are looking for a premier young player(s) and multiple, good draft picks in exchange for one of the three best players in the NBA," Edwards stated. "The Knicks have neither of those, and to get close to what the Bucks are asking for, New York would need to trade two or three players in its starting lineup, most likely OG Anunoby, [Mikal] Bridges and/or Towns."

While Towns is one of the top centers in the league and was selected to his sixth career All-Star Game this year, his trade value has diminished in recent weeks. He averaged 15.9 points for the month of January and hasn't scored 20 points in his last six games.

It sounds like the most likely scenario is that the Bucks will wait until the summer to deal away Antetokounmpo, so the Knicks and other teams will have more time to prepare their trade offers for one of the biggest stars in the league.