The Knicks and Milwaukee Bucks discussed a potential trade that would have sent two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo to New York this offseason — but the Knicks, according to an ESPN report, believed the Bucks were never serious about making a deal.
The conversations — detailed in a sweeping Tuesday morning report from ESPN’s Shams Charania — took place in August, following a late July meeting between Antetokounmpo and Bucks GM Jon Horst. During the meeting, the franchise cornerstone voiced his concern about Milwaukee’s championship window after the team’s third straight first-round playoff exit.
“Several teams were discussed internally, but one emerged as the only place Antetokounmpo wanted to play outside of Milwaukee: the New York Knicks,” Charania wrote, citing multiple sources with direct knowledge of the situation. “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, according to Charania, weren’t moved enough by New York’s offer to entertain parting with their franchise player. The Knicks had already traded five first-round picks to acquire Mikal Bridges from the Brooklyn Nets, then signed Bridges to a four-year, $150 million extension — a move that renders him ineligible for trade until February.
With their draft capital depleted and Bridges temporarily off the table, the Knicks lacked the assets to make a compelling offer for one of the league’s most dominant forces.
The Knicks’ interest in Antetokounmpo isn’t new. The front office, led by president Leon Rose, has had the Greek Freak on its radar since Rose took over in 2020. But with Antetokounmpo now beginning the first year of a three-year, $175 million extension that pays him $54.1 million in 2025–26, any path to acquiring him would be financially complex.
“It’s unclear how the Bucks would have responded to an all-out chase by the Knicks,” Charania wrote. “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.”
Antetokounmpo has never made a secret of his dissatisfaction with Milwaukee’s playoff trajectory. He remains the only player in NBA history to average 30 points, 11 rebounds and five assists on 60% shooting for three consecutive seasons. Still, the Bucks failed to advance past the first round in each of those years.
This summer, things only got murkier. Milwaukee lost Damian Lillard to a torn Achilles in the playoffs, then waived him, eating his massive salary at an average of $22 million against their books over the next five years. Their biggest move was signing Myles Turner away from the Indiana Pacers, a prominent three-and-D center who has no All-Star appearances and shot 21% from deep in the NBA Finals.
In an Eastern Conference where both Jayson Tatum (Celtics) and Tyrese Haliburton (Pacers) are expected to miss significant time, the Bucks don’t stack up on paper with contenders like the Knicks, Cavaliers or Magic.
While Giannis has always expressed loyalty to the franchise that drafted him 15th overall in 2013, his priorities are evolving. The goal now is legacy — not sentiment. And if the Bucks can’t provide a title-worthy roster, the Garden remains his preferred destination.
“I want to be on a team that allows me and gives me a chance to win a championship,” Antetokounmpo said at Bucks media day on Sept. 29. Appearing remotely due to a COVID-19 diagnosis, he added: “I think it’s a disservice to basketball, just to the game, to not want to compete at a high level, to want your season to end in April.”
The Knicks and Bucks meet three times this season: Oct. 28 and Feb. 27 in Milwaukee, and Nov. 28 at Madison Square Garden — an NBA Cup group stage game that now carries extra intrigue.
Antetokounmpo isn’t wearing a Knicks jersey. Not yet. But when superstars speak, the league usually listens — and oftentimes, they get their way. Now the Knicks have something more than expectations: they have stakes.
Because if this group can’t get over the hump as currently constructed, there’s a superhero waiting in the wings — ready to throw on a cape and chase a title in Madison Square Garden. And if there’s one thing the front office has made clear, it’s this: they’ll do whatever it takes to end the franchise’s ongoing 52-year championship drought.
