The New York Knicks are the odds-on favorites to land Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo via trade, per online sportsbook Bovada.
The odds were released shortly after ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that Antetokounmpo could eventually seek a trade from Milwaukee if the franchise struggles to make a deep postseason run. The Bucks haven’t advanced past the second round of the playoffs since capturing the 2021 NBA title.
“Everyone knows Giannis Antetokounmpo loves the Bucks,” Charania told ESPN’s “Get Up” on February 20. “But I’m here to tell you he loves winning more. That’s why everyone in that Bucks organization, they know what’s at stake this season. They know the pressure.”
Antetokounmpo is signed through the 2027-28 season with the Bucks after re-upping with the franchise midway through the 2023-24 season. “The Greek Freak” put pen to paper after the Bucks acquired perennial All-Star Damian Lillard as his running mate.
Antetokounmpo Committed to Bucks
Since signing that contract extension, Antetokounmpo has repeatedly stressed his desire to remain a member of the Bucks for the rest of his career.
In an interview with Greece’s COSMOTE TV on February 19, the two-time MVP confirmed that he doesn’t plan to seek a trade from Milwaukee.
“I don’t think that I would ever text (and ask for a trade), I am not this kind of guy, they would have to kick me out,” Antetokounmpo said, via EuroHoops.
In the same interview, the 2021 NBA Finals MVP spoke extensively about playing for Greece and possibly in the Euroleague during the NBA offseason.
“The EuroLeague teams have a contract with their competition, but it will be good for the NBA to expand and for other teams to get there, maybe build new arenas and get into the NBA lifestyle.”
Knicks On The Clock
Much like the Bucks, it’s fair to suggest that the Knicks are also under immense pressure to make a deep postseason run. The franchise made two blockbuster trades in the 2024 offseason, landing Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns, to bolster the roster built around Jalen Brunson. Furthermore, they paid OG Anunoby a five-year, $212M contract, adding to their fourth-highest payroll in the league.
Bridges showed his worth again in the Knicks’ 113-111 win over the Bulls in overtime on February 20. With Anunoby and Mitchell Robinson sidelined with injuries, Bridges made huge defensive plays down the stretch to seal the victory for his team.
After the win, teammate Towns praised Bridges’ ability to switch on to bigger players on defense.
“I don’t doubt Mikal Bridges against anybody in the NBA, I know that,” he said. “If he’s defending them, it’s gonna be a tough night. Shout out to him for doing what he does best in the biggest play of the game.”
The performances of Bridges, Towns and Co. have given Knicks fans a lot of hope entering the stretch run of the 2024-25 season.
“It has been 25 years since the Knicks appeared in an Eastern Conference Finals, 26 since they were in an NBA Finals,” wrote USA Today’s Lorenzo Reyes. “It has been 52 years since they won it all. Yet this may be the best Knicks team of the last two decades. Karl-Anthony Towns has been stellar, and the starting unit has been cohesive. But does New York have enough depth for a run, especially if injuries strike again?”
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