In the early months of the season, arguably the biggest ongoing story in the NBA was the future of Giannis Antetokounmpo. After a trade didn’t surface before the deadline, one analyst expects a blockbuster to happen in the summer.
For years now, the Knicks have been a team consistently connected to the Milwaukee Bucks superstar. Pulling off a big trade of their own for Karl-Anthony Towns hasn’t changed things, as many still think the former MVP will eventually wind up in the Big Apple.
In the midst of what has been a rollercoaster of a season for the Knicks, former NFL quarterback Boomer Esiason thinks the roster could go through an overhaul in the coming months. While on WFAN sports radio on February 25th, he made the bold prediction that New York will swap Towns for Giannis in the offseason.
“I’m telling you right now, Giannis is gonna be here next year,” Esiason said. “He’s gonna be here. Since he didn’t get traded and they’re going to wait until the offseason to move him because they get better assets that way, and the Knicks would have more assets to trade. He’s getting traded to New York, Karl-Anthony Towns is getting shipped out of here.”
Knicks Could Enter Sizable Bidding War for Giannis Antetokounmpo in Offseason
Throughout the weeks of rumors regarding Giannis, all signals pointed towards a Giannis trade happening in the summer as the more likely outcome. Most potential suitors will have more assets at their disposal come the offseason, which is a double-edged sword for the Knicks. They too can offer more for the Bucks star, but so can multiple teams they’ll be bidding against.
While breaking down Giannis’ future in a February 19th column for The Athletic, NBA insider Sam Amick touched on the trade landscape. The Knicks were mentioned as one of the “core four teams” to be interested, but he also noted that executives around the league expect the pool of interested squads to get much deeper.
Before the Knicks can begin entertaining the idea of going all-in for Giannis, their focus should be on making another deep run in the postseason.
Giannis Antetokounmpo Remains Locked in With Bucks Amid Rumors
In an era where stars are constantly on the move, Giannis has become a rare breed. Despite all the chatter around him leading up to the deadline, he continues to put out the message that he is locked in with the Bucks.
While speaking with the media during All-Star weekend, Giannis reflected on all the trade rumors. He portrayed a similar message that we’ve grown accustomed to hearing, that he is committed to Milwaukee and their plans moving forward.
“As of today, I’m committed to the Milwaukee Bucks,” Antetokounmpo told ESPN’s Malika Andrews. “I’m committed to the people that I work with, my teammates, the coaching staff, Coach Doc [Rivers] and [GM] Jon [Horst] in the front office.”
Stuff like this isn’t what the Knicks and other interested teams want to hear, but it’s still a situation worth monitoring. Giannis went on to cap off this interview by echoing his strong desire to be on a winning team and compete for championships again.
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