Giannis Antetokounmpo
Getty
Giannis Antetokounmpo
As leaguewide speculation continues around the future of Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo, a new three-team trade concept has outlined how the New York Knicks could factor into a potential blockbuster.
The proposal, floated this week by CBS Sports’ Sam Quinn, follows recent reporting that the Portland Trail Blazers could emerge as a third-team facilitator in any eventual Antetokounmpo deal involving New York — a scenario that would bring additional leverage, draft capital and roster flexibility into play.
Three-Team Framework Highlights Knicks’ Path
“If the Blazers are interested in Mikal Bridges as Jake Fischer suggested, we might have a workable Giannis/Knicks outline here,” Quinn wrote on X. “I imagine Portland wouldn’t want to give up Bucks pick control in all three years, but maybe something like this:”
New York Knicks receive: Giannis Antetokounmpo (from Bucks), Jerami Grant (from Blazers)
Milwaukee Bucks receive: Karl-Anthony Towns (from Knicks), Miles McBride (from Knicks), Pacome Dadiet (from Knicks), 2026 first-round pick (from Knicks via Wizards), 2028 first-round pick (from Blazers via Magic), 2028 and 2030 pick swaps (with Blazers), 2030 and 2032 pick swaps (with Knicks)
Portland Trail Blazers receive: Mikal Bridges (from Knicks, Guerschon Yabusele (from Knicks)
Quinn’s hypothetical framework envisions the Knicks landing Antetokounmpo while involving Portland as a conduit to help Milwaukee extract maximum draft and player value. In the proposed outline, New York would acquire Antetokounmpo along with forward Jerami Grant, reshaping the Knicks’ core around a true MVP-caliber centerpiece.
Milwaukee, in turn, would receive a substantial return headlined by Karl-Anthony Towns, multiple young players and a complex web of first-round picks and swaps stretching into the next decade — a package designed to satisfy both immediate competitiveness and long-term flexibility.
Portland’s role would center on absorbing Mikal Bridges, a player the Blazers have long admired, according to NBA insider Jake Fischer, dating back to Damian Lillard’s first stint with the franchise, while also rebalancing draft equity tied to Milwaukee from the Jrue Holiday–Damian Lillard trade.
While speculative, the concept reflects a growing league belief that any Antetokounmpo move — if it happens — is likely to be multi-layered rather than a simple two-team exchange.
Why Portland Matters in Giannis Math
Fischer previously reported that Portland is quietly viewed as a team to monitor in any future Antetokounmpo discussions because of its unique control over Milwaukee’s draft capital in 2028, 2029 and 2030.
That leverage, league sources told Fischer, has positioned the Blazers as a potential spoiler — or facilitator — should the Bucks explore a blockbuster reset.
“No one is suggesting Antetokounmpo would push for Portland,” Fischer wrote in The Stein Line, “but the Blazers have always viewed his potential Milwaukee exit as a chance to jump into a multi-team deal and improve their own roster.”
That dynamic has naturally intersected with the Knicks, who have been repeatedly linked to Antetokounmpo and were reported by ESPN’s Shams Charania last summer to be his preferred destination during an exclusive negotiating window between New York and Milwaukee.
Mikal Bridges’ Uneven Season Adds Trade Intrigue
Giannis Antetokounmpo
GettyGiannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks dribbles the ball against Mikal Bridges of the New York Knicks.
The trade chatter arrives as Bridges continues to navigate another uneven season in New York following the Knicks’ aggressive move to acquire him in 2024. New York surrendered five first-round picks and a pick swap to land Bridges, then doubled down by signing him to a four-year, $150 million extension.
Offensively, Bridges has struggled to maintain consistency. After averaging 19.0 points per game on 48.1 percent shooting from three in October, his production dipped sharply. In January, he averaged 14.3 points while shooting 34.8 percent from deep, marking his lowest scoring stretch since the 2021–22 season.
Bridges’ six-month trade restriction expires Jan. 31, five days before the Feb. 5 trade deadline — a procedural detail that has not gone unnoticed by rival executives, even as the Knicks have publicly maintained confidence in him as a core piece.
Giannis Trade Timeline Still Points to Draft Day
According to Fischer, multiple league sources believe Antetokounmpo’s situation in Milwaukee is trending toward an eventual resolution — though not necessarily before the trade deadline.
“This is shaping up to be a draft-day kind of thing,” one source told Fischer.
Another was more blunt: “It’s happening.”
The prevailing expectation around the league is that if Milwaukee ultimately moves Giannis Antetokounmpo, it would likely come around the NBA Draft, when teams beyond New York would have greater flexibility to assemble asset-heavy offers.
The Knicks lack a direct path to Antetokounmpo, but as leaguewide belief grows that his future is approaching a turning point, trade frameworks are increasingly revealing how New York could still play a central role in any blockbuster outcome.