The Milwaukee Bucks aren't going to blink first on a Giannis Antetokounmpo trade — and they shouldn't. Of course, they know what they have in Giannis, and there's no reason to settle for a lesser package in return for one of the five best players in the sport. Multiple players and multiple picks will go back to the Bucks from any team that decides to take the home run swing. The New York Knicks have the ammo to make that happen... But should they?
Giannis is a better player than anyone on the Knicks right now. Full stop. He's become strangely underrated, but the fact remains that he's won two MVPs, and his recent seasons have been nearly as good as those MVP campaigns. He would completely change the dynamic of the Knicks and [form the best two-man game](https://dailyknicks.com/knicks-have-crystal-clear-answer-if-bucks-ask-jalen-brunson-giannis-trade) in the league with Jalen Brunson.
With all that being said... Acquiring Giannis, if the Knicks even want to, may not be worth it due to the extent of the package required. There's more to blockbuster NBA trades than "who gets the best player," and its all those other things the Knicks have to consider, too.
Knicks would have to give up a king's ransom to land Giannis
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Any package from the Knicks would likely start with Karl-Anthony Towns and one of Mikal Bridges or OG Anunoby. That's already massively depleting the Knicks current roster, and that doesn't even mention the picks that the Bucks would inevitably ask for. Whatever first-rounders the Knicks are able to sacrifice, the Bucks would demand.
Giannis is better than both KAT and whomever else is hypothetically dealt, but we've seen superstar trades in the past where the team acquiring the superstar is clearly getting more talented, but that doesn't equate to a better chance at a title.
We know this combo _works_ for the Knicks, and this year's specific combo — plus a change at head coach — gives them their best chance at a title in a a long, long time. Jalen Brunson is somehow better than he's ever been, KAT is looking more like himself, and there have already been some random heroes this year. Aside from the high-level basketball being played, the lore of the 2025-26 Knicks already runs deep. Destroying that feels counterproductive (and a little sad), even if it's destroyed to add Giannis.
If trading for Giannis is a realistic idea, the Knicks would be irresponsible to not at least consider it. But immediately pushing the button on a deal is not how Leon Rose should go about this. This Knicks team doesn't need "fixing," and trying to fix something that is operating at a high level may only end up doing the opposite.