Knicks Must Trade for Giannis to Realize Title Hopes Amid NBA Rumors

The New York Knicks, despite being one of the elite teams in the Eastern Conference this season, are still not out of the Giannis Antetokounmpo conversation.

NBA writer Kirk Goldsberry reported on the Bill Simmons Podcast that the Knicks are among the teams still looking at a potential trade for the former NBA champion and MVP.

He said, "So there's 16 teams, they think they're in it, two weeks later, there's eight teams that are out. That's where I think the Houstons, the Orlandos are gonna merge. The Knicks, Cleveland, that's the group I'm looking at.''

New York should absolutely stay in the hunt for Giannis, especially considering valid questions about Karl-Anthony Towns' physicality in the Knicks' recent loss to the Charlotte Hornets.

The Knicks are built to win now. They do not have the luxury of waiting to see whether Towns will discover the physical dominance in and around the net that the team needs to make a real run at the Larry O'Brien Trophy, or whether all the pieces will come together to advance the organization to the NBA Finals.

Antetokounmpo may be 31, and not the complete game-wrecker he once was, but he is still averaging 27.6 points per game, with 9.8 rebounds and 5.4 assists. He is shooting 62.4 percent from the field.

While there are questions about his ability to play alongside other stars, given how his partnership with Damian Lillard went in Milwaukee, there is more than enough reason for the Knicks to explore the trade.

Giannis would immediately improve the team's interior scoring and give it a consistently dominant presence in the paint. More importantly, he upgrades the defense. Above all, he would prove another offensive threat to the team, someone who could help the Knicks get past the Cavs, Boston Celtics, and Detroit Pistons in pursuit of the NBA title that has eluded them since 1973.

It would take a massive package to pry the former league MVP from Milwaukee, one that would likely cost the Knicks a foundational player, but the team has gotten close too often not to take the chance and bring the enormous star in to the fold in hopes of finally ending the championship slump it has been in for over five decades.