The New York Knicks may not be interested in making any last-second changes to their roster this season.
After all, the franchise has won five consecutive games and is finally beginning to look like a team destined to represent the Eastern Conference in the 2026 NBA Finals.
However, if New York suddenly experiences a change of heart, CBS Sports’ Brad Botkin believes they could make a trade that would immediately make headlines.
Specifically, Botkin’s proposed trade would send an NBA champion to the Milwaukee Bucks for a 10-time All-Star.
“Look, if Giannis puts his foot down and says I won't sign an extension anywhere else, and I want to go to the Knicks, these things have a way of happening for superstars," Botkin wrote Friday. "But removing that variable, the package New York can offer is far from a head turner."
“Deuce McBride is a solid young piece, but like Minnesota (Timberwolves), the Knicks basically have no draft capital as they gave it all away in the deal for Bridges (they do own the Washington Wizards’ 2026 pick, but it's top-eight protected and all but guaranteed to convert to two second rounders), meaning, as outlined above, they would have to flip (Miles) Bridges and/or (OG) Anunoby for the kind of draft assets Milwaukee would covet.”
Losing Anunoby would be a tough pill to swallow for the Knicks. Anunoby, who captured a title with the Toronto Raptors in 2019, hasn’t disappointed with the Knicks thus far.
The London, England native has been a revelation for the franchise on both ends, frequently getting to his spots offensively and positively impacting games defensively with his physicality.
That said, if the Knicks ever feel they have a realistic shot of landing Antetokounmpo, a one-of-a-kind 6-foot-11 forward who’s an unfair matchup for many, they would likely consider ending the Anunoby experiment in New York.
As it stands right now, there’s a good chance a deal would come to fruition before the Feb. 5 deadline.
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