As Giannis Antetokounmpo prepares for his 13th season with the Milwaukee Bucks, the two-time NBA MVP has at least given strong consideration to where he would like to play if he does decide to leave his current club.
Per ESPN’s Shams Charania, Antetokounmpo and his representatives landed on the New York Knicks as his “only” preferred destination when they were doing due diligence throughout the offseason.
Charania noted the Knicks and Bucks engaged in trade talks “for a window of time” in August, but there was no real traction on a deal in part because Milwaukee’s preference was not to move the superstar.
There was also a feeling among people within the Bucks organization that the Knicks “did not make a strong enough offer” for Antetokounmpo, according to Charania:
“The Bucks picked up the Knicks’ call on Antetokounmpo, and the sides engaged in conversations for a window of time in August, league sources said, but the teams never got traction on a deal.
“The Bucks insisted to the Knicks that they preferred not to move Antetokounmpo, but those in Milwaukee believe New York did not make a strong enough offer to continue even discussing a trade, league sources said. It’s unclear how the Bucks would have responded to an all-out chase by the Knicks. The multiweek process was described by one source with direct knowledge of the talks as an exclusive negotiating window. New York, for its part, believes the Bucks never were serious about entertaining an Antetokounmpo trade, sources said.”
It’s unclear what New York would have offered, but the club is limited in terms of draft capital it can include because of the assets it gave to the Brooklyn Nets last offseason to acquire Mikal Bridges.
The only first-round selection the Knicks can trade right now is a top-eight protected pick they are owed from the Washington Wizards in 2026, per ESPN’s Bobby Marks.
Antetokounmpo’s future with the Bucks has been a major talking point since the 2024-25 season ended with a first-round playoff loss to the Indiana Pacers. General manager Jon Horst even took a day trip to Greece in July to meet with Antetokounmpo in which the team expected he would formally request a trade, per Charania.
While a request didn’t happen at that point, Antetokounmpo did raise “serious questions” to Horst about Milwaukee’s ability to compete for a championship. There’s also a feeling within the organization that the first quarter of this season “will hold significant weight for the future direction” with Antetokounmpo.
The Bucks made the boldest of the offseason when they waived Damian Lillard using the stretch provision in order to sign Myles Turner, hoping adding another high-level starter would both satisfy Antetokounmpo and raise their ceiling in 2025-26 to prove to him they can be a top-tier team in the Eastern Conference.
Even though the Knicks weren’t in a great spot over the summer to make a formidable trade offer to Antetokounmpo, the fact that he has them squarely on his radar already does bode well for them if he does re-open trade possibilities either during the season or next summer.
Meanwhile, the Bucks could be under even more pressure than previously thought because the questions about Antetokounmpo’s future could start very early if they don’t get off to a good start this season.
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