In a stunning development, there’s now a 51% probablity rate that New York Knicks star Mikal Bridges will be traded by the Feb. 5 NBA trade deadline. The odds of the 3-and-D wing being moved have skyrocketed since ESPN’s Shams Charania dropped a bombshell Wednesday morning that Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo is “ready for a new home” as early as next Thursday’s deadline.
As widely documented, the Knicks have remained the most likely destination for Antetokounmpo since last offseason, and their path to landing the “Greek Freak” could involve trading Bridges, who can’t be moved before Feb. 1. Since the Knicks own limited draft assets, there has been a lot of chatter of a third team getting involved that can faciliate a move for a two-time MVP Antetokounmpo to get to the Big Apple.
Trail Blazers – Mikal Bridges Factor
Among the possible third teams, the Portland Trail Blazers have emerged as a destination for Bridges, given their reported interest in the Villanova alum.
NBA insider Jake Fischer reported earlier this week that the Blazers, who are flush with draft assets, could be the key for a Giannis to Knicks trade to materialize.
“Portland is definitely a team to track here when it comes to eventual Antetokounmpo outcomes,” Fischer wrote in “The Stein Line” Substack.
“No one is suggesting that a trade to the Trail Blazers is a scenario that the Giannis Camp would push for, but Portland still controls Milwaukee’s draft capital in 2028, 2029, and 2030 thanks to the teams’ Jrue Holiday-for-Damian Lillard swap. And I’m told Blazers officials have always viewed Antetokounmpo’s potential Milwaukee exit as a chance to improve their own roster by jumping into a multi-team deal.”
Giannis to Knicks a Done Deal?
The Giannis to Knicks buzz gained further momentum Wednesday morning when TrueHoops’ Henry Abbot reported that the 2021 NBA Finals MVP “prefers” a move to the Knicks, but has the two other teams on his list of preferred landing spots.
“One person told me that Giannis’ preferred list is three teams: the Heat, the Wolves and the Knicks,” Abbot said.
“Now, another person told me that it is not his list, but would not tell me what his list is. So take it all with a grain of salt,” he continued.
“From everything I’ve heard, Giannis would like to play for the Knicks, but I can’t figure out how they could possibly offer the package that the Bucks would like the most.”
Abbot, though, acknowledged that the Knicks — hard-capped at the second-apron — have a multitude of hoops to jump through to truly pull off a Giannis trade. ESPN’s Bobby Marks highlighted similar concerns recently.
“Because it is over the first apron, New York is not allowed to take on more salary than it sends out in a trade,” Marks wrote of a potential Giannis to Knicks deal. That would leave the front office with the option of swapping Karl-Anthony Towns straight up or packaging a combination of OG Anunoby, Josh Hart and Mikal Bridges.
Ultimately, another team’s interest in Mikal Bridges, or even Karl-Anthony Towns or OG Anunoby, could be key to the much-awaited Antetokounmpo-Knicks union.
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