The New York Knicks may have missed their exclusive window to trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo last summer, but their long-term position in a potential sweepstakes appears stronger today than at any point since.
Despite the Milwaukee Bucks preparing internally for a possible bidding war should Antetokounmpo eventually request a trade, several of the franchises once considered the Knicks’ biggest threats are now expected to sit out the chase altogether.
Rival Asset-Rich Teams Expected to Pass on Giannis Pursuit
According to longtime NBA insider Marc Stein, the San Antonio Spurs, Houston Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder—three teams equipped with extraordinary draft capital and young talent—are unlikely to pursue Antetokounmpo even if he becomes available.
“There is a growing belief among trade-trackers that San Antonio and Houston, like Oklahoma City, do not plan to join the chase for Antetokounmpo,” Stein wrote. “All three of those teams, as you can imagine, like what they have going.”
Stein added that several teams expect Milwaukee to eventually solicit proposals for Antetokounmpo sometime in January ahead of the Feb. 5 trade deadline, though he emphasized the Bucks will not move unless the two-time MVP explicitly instructs them to.
“It won’t happen until Giannis himself clearly directs the Bucks to do so,” Stein wrote.
His report mirrors ESPN’s Shams Charania, who previously outlined how an in-season trade demand would unfold.
“If the Bucks are open to discussing Antetokounmpo with teams, the Knicks will no longer have the exclusive negotiating window as his preferred destination,” Charania reported last week.
The Knicks once held that advantage—but their leverage evaporated as quickly as it materialized.
Knicks Passed on Exclusive Window After Failing to Meet Bucks’ Price
GettyKarl-Anthony Towns of the New York Knicks heads for the net as Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks defends.
In early autumn, the Knicks were considered Antetokounmpo’s top preferred landing spot outside Milwaukee. Charania reported the two sides entered what he described as an “exclusive negotiating window.”
But no deal advanced.
Fox32 Chicago’s Lou Canellis later revealed why.
“Knicks wouldn’t move off — would not offer more than just Karl-Anthony Towns,” Canellis said on 670 The Score.
Milwaukee deemed the proposal insufficient and shut down talks.
Internally, ESPN reported the Bucks felt New York never presented a compelling enough offer to warrant continued negotiations.
Bucks Struggling Amid Injuries as Pressure Builds
The Bucks entered the season hoping to contend behind Antetokounmpo, new starter Myles Turner, and a retooled roster following the waiving of Damian Lillard.
Instead, Milwaukee has stumbled to an 11–16 record and recently suffered a 127–82 blowout loss to the rebuilding Brooklyn Nets while Antetokounmpo remains out with a right calf strain.
One league source told Charania the dynamic between Milwaukee and its franchise star is deteriorating even before the humiliating loss.
“The writing is on the wall,” the source told Charania.
Knicks Face Their Own Obstacles—Including Lost Draft Capital
The Knicks’ acquisition of Towns and Mikal Bridges cost them six first-round picks, dramatically shrinking their flexibility in a future Antetokounmpo offer.
SNY’s Ian Begley reported that New York remains realistic about the cost.
“It would take Giannis forcing the issue, or Milwaukee working with him on the way out,” Begley said, noting the latter scenario is unlikely.
Complicating matters further, Jalen Brunson was considered untouchable then and remains so now, per The Athletic’s Sam Amick. Bridges, due to his contract status, could not legally be included at the time of the earlier discussions.
The Knicks also feared that gutting their roster for Antetokounmpo would leave them dangerously top-heavy.
Ironically, their current success—advancing to the NBA Cup Finals with their present core—has only reinforced internal belief that this group may not need drastic change to contend this season.
Knicks Still Viewed as Giannis’ Preferred Destination
Even so, the Knicks’ standing with Antetokounmpo has not evaporated.
NBA insider Jake Fischer reported last summer that Antetokounmpo believed a Knicks trade was “close,” and that he continues to view New York as the league’s most fitting cultural match.
“There’s a strong belief leaguewide that Antetokounmpo desires one destination above all the rest,” Fischer wrote for The Stein Line. “New York.”
With the Spurs, Rockets and Thunder—three once-feared bidders—now expected to bow out, the Knicks’ chances of pairing a two-time MVP with Brunson are stronger than they appeared even a week ago.
And for a franchise that once fumbled its exclusive shot, the unexpected thinning of the field may be the lifeline they needed should they get a second shot.
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