A mild bombshell was levied this week by ESPN’s Shams Charania, when he reported that the New York Knicks and Milwaukee Bucks had, at least briefly, discussed the framework of a potential blockbuster deal to send nine-time All-NBA superstar power forward Giannis Antetokounmpo to Madison Square Garden.
That’s because, per Charania, the only club that the two-time MVP wanted to play for, beyond the Bucks, was apparently New York.
Milwaukee’s future upside got incredibly murky during the playoffs this spring, when the team lost nine-time All-Star point guard Damian Lillard to an Achilles tendon tear. Lillard’s injury marked the first of three Achilles ruptures for Eastern Conference All-Stars during this season’s playoffs.
By about halfway through Lillard and Antetokounmpo’s second season together, it had become painfully apparent that this was not a superstar tandem that would help Milwaukee capture its second championship with Antetokounmpo.
Lillard, a defensive sieve, was expected to spark a lethal pick-and-roll game with Antetokounmpo. It never quite materialized at the elite level all were expecting, and Lillard was already hurt by the start of both the Bucks’ playoff runs during his two years with the team.
The injury to Lillard, however, wasn’t just about the loss of Antetokounmpo’s best teammate. More than that, it was about losing the Bucks’ best trade asset. Lillard was set to earn $112.6 million across the next two seasons. Still a great scorer, shooter and distributor - even if his athleticism had slipped somewhat from his absolute prime with the Portland Trail Blazers - Lillard could have been moved for serious value in a deal.
The Bucks’ other non-Antetokounmpo contracts that were still set to be on the roster in 2025-26 - for forwards Bobby Portis and Kyle Kuzma - would not have been nearly as helpful on the trade market. Portis was on a fairly reasonable deal (he opted out and renegotiated this summer), while Kuzma had negative trade value.
So Milwaukee blinked, opting to stretch and waive Lillard’s contract and choosing to sign 3-and-D former Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner to a four-year, $108.9 million free agent deal. The Bucks will now be saddled with $22.5 million in dead cap money owed to Lillard across the next five seasons.
With Boston Celtics All-NBA power forward Jayson Tatum and Indiana Pacers All-NBA point guard Tyrese Haliburton both shelved due to their own Achilles tears for most or perhaps all of the year, the Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers have emerged as the East’s de facto top dogs. The revamped Orlando Magic, Atlanta Hawks, and perhaps Bucks and Miami Heat are lurking a tier below that.
As a major favorite to win the East, the Knicks don’t necessarily need the conference’s best player in Antetokounmpo.
Still, it’s worth at least exploring what it would cost to add the 30-year-old superstar. Sam Amick of The Athletic revealed in a new report the one piece New York wouldn’t ditch in a deal for Antetokounmpo.
“Team sources have made it clear that Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson was, as expected, untouchable in these talks,” writes Amick. “In terms of possible players being involved, the common sense lens turns toward [All-Star big man Karl-Anthony] Towns, OG Anunoby and Mitchell Robinson from there.”
Brunson, a two-time All-NBA superstar, has emerged as New York’s best player and unquestioned leader. He’s the engine that has brought the Knicks back to legitimate contender status, helping guide the franchise back to the Eastern Conference Finals last season for the first time since 2000.
Amick notes that New York’s four-season, $150 million July contract extension of one-time All-Defensive Team small forward Mikal Bridges has precluded a trade of the 6-foot-7 wing for at least six months, which could significantly hamper the framework of a Bucks deal. Still, he’ll be movable in time for the 2025-26 season’s Feb. trade deadline.
"They should have done it in June," an NBA source told Amick of a theoretical Antetokounmpo-to-Milwaukee deal.
As Amick observes, Antetokounmpo himself expressed a commitment to this current, flawed Bucks roster - for now.
"I believe in this team," Antetokokounmpo said in a presser after the Charania report dropped. "I believe in my teammates. I'm here to lead this team to wherever we can go, and it's definitely going to be hard. We're going to take it day by day, but I'm here. So, all the other extra stuff does not matter."
For all the latest NBA news and rumors, head over to Newsweek Sports.
2025 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.