Giannis Antetokounmpo is returning to Milwaukee. However, his future is just as uncertain. He loves Wisconsin, but his ambitions to contend could see him keep his options open, as per Shams Charania. Naturally, there’s just one team in focus. Antetokounmpo was only willing to join the New York Knicks. So is it an inevitable outcome?

Not really. Ariel Helwani recently joined Bill Simmons to discuss the situation. Both feel the Knicks lost the race for the Greek Freak last season. They traded for Mikal Bridges, a horde of draft picks, including one from the Bucks. “The problem is I don’t see the path to getting there. Before the Bridges trade, I saw a path,” said Helwani.

Simmons echoed the same feelings. He does feel a trade is technically possible. Considering the cap implications, the revered analyst sees Karl-Anthony Towns and OG Anunoby as a package for Antetokounmpo. However, the Knicks’ elaborate business blocks the path. “They made their moves already. That’s the problem with this,” he added on the Bill Simmons Podcast.

Those discussions fizzled without traction, largely because the Knicks’ recent moves left them asset-poor and apron-constrained. In essence, their win-now strategy- while building a core around Jalen Brunson- depleted the very ammunition needed to pry Giannis loose.

The Knicks’ front office has long prioritized immediate impact over long-term flexibility, but no move epitomizes this more than the Mikal Bridges acquisition in June 2024. To land the elite two-way wing from Brooklyn, New York surrendered five unprotected first-round picks (2025, 2027, 2029, 2031) plus a 2028 pick swap- essentially mortgaging a decade of lottery upside.

This was a bold bet on Bridges’ fit alongside Brunson and OG Anunoby, but it gutted their trade war chest.

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Fast-forward to September 2024: Desperate for a star big after Mitchell Robinson’s injury woes and Isaiah Hartenstein’s departure to Oklahoma City, the Knicks traded Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo plus a valuable 2025 first-round pick (originally from Detroit, projected as a top-5 lottery pick) to Minnesota for Karl-Anthony Towns.

KAT’s elite spacing and scoring (24.4 PPG last season) addressed a glaring hole, but it stripped away their last meaningful draft asset.

The Knicks are hard-capped under the second apron. So the only way to land Giannis Antetokounmpo would be by dealing Towns’ contract along with Anunoby. Even in this case, the Knicks would take Bobby Portis and Kyle Kuzma to work out the salaries. But that doesn’t suit either team.

The Bucks, in particular, aren’t after assets. Trading Antetokounmpo would begin a rebuilding process for the team. Committing $346 million between two stars doesn’t bode well. Draft picks are essential to organically build a roster.

On the other hand, the Knicks under Mike Brown feel like they have a championship roster on their hands.

Why look to change it after they made the ECF for the first time in 25 years last season?

Mike Brown isn’t asking for Giannis Antetokounmpo

Bill Simmons said it best. The New York Knicks have been building their infrastructure since the time they traded for Jalen Brunson. Committing heavily to their starters has positioned them to compete in the East. They are the favorites alongside the Cleveland Cavaliers to top the conference. Obviously, a Giannis Antetokounmpo addition would make them the unchallenged golems.

But that’s the last thought on Mike Brown’s mind. Taking over the Knicks this season, Brown believes in the culmination of the players he has at his disposal. So even though the news about Antetokounmpo wanting the Knicks went wild, his focus remains on working with the current team.

“We’re in a great spot right now. Our guys have been playing their tails off. They’re starting to pick what we’re doing defensively; offensively we’re getting a little bit more comfortable – especially trying to play fast. That’s what I’m concentrating on now. Like I said, I love our guys and I think they’re starting to enjoy playing the way we’re trying to play on both ends,” the Knicks head coach said after team practice.

In hindsight, most of their starters are All-Stars. Furthermore, the dynamic is starting to fit just right. Brunson, Bridges and Josh Hart played together in college.

Towns is from New Jersey and is ecstatic about contributing to the team. Moreover, the Knicks have won both of their preseason games and are developing well under Brown’s philosophies. There is essentially no need to upgrade the roster even more.

Complications aside, the Knicks are title contenders with how things stand. With Celtics and Pacers no longer the competition they were from the season prior due to injuries, only Cavs remain as the prominent East threat.

As tempting as the Greek Freak would be in a big market like New York, the Big Apple already has a star unit. Still, do you think the Knicks would go all out for Antetokounmpo if they get the opportunity? Let us know your views in the comments below.