If the angsty New York Knicks can finish off the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals, they will have won their first title in 53 years. If they wind up blowing up what was a 2-0 series lead, which was earned with two straight hard-nosed victories in San Antonio, then their consolation prize could be 2021 NBA Finals MVP, two-time MVP, and former Defensive Player of the Year, Giannis Antetokounmpo.
With all things considered, while Antetokounmpo isn’t anything close to winning a championship by himself, he is probably the best possible fallback option to losing on the NBA’s biggest stage.
A desperate Knicks team licking its wounds post-finals loss seems like something the Milwaukee Bucks are keen on at least exploring in a trade.
According to Marc Stein, people around the league believe the Bucks are in no rush to trade Antetokounmpo as soon as possible. Why?
Well, aside from generally mulling over trade packages, they’re waiting to see the outcome of this finals series between the Knicks and Spurs. If the Knicks lose, the Bucks reportedly think New York would feel extra pressure to take a massive swing by trading for Antetokounmpo as a way to finally get over the hump. If the Knicks win, the Bucks would probably focus on a more earnest conversation with, say, the Miami Heat.
Milwaukee effectively wants to know whether the Knicks could be a real suitor for its franchise superstar before fully committing to a trade with another team. Hmm.
There is an increasing belief leaguewide that they [the Bucks] would prefer to wait until after the NBA Finals before completing a deal to see if the Knicks end up squandering a 2–0 series lead. Might the Knicks then decide to re-enter the Giannis Trade Sweepstakes in response to the disappointment of letting the title slip away?
There is an increasing belief leaguewide that they [the Bucks] would prefer to wait until after the NBA Finals before completing a deal to see if the Knicks end up squandering a 2–0 series lead. Might the Knicks then decide to re-enter the Giannis Trade Sweepstakes in response to the disappointment of letting the title slip away?
Of course, that is a rather big IF. The Knicks, for the time being, still control these NBA Finals with a 2-1 series lead. And even if they do blow their former 2-0 lead, would the Bucks really be willing to potentially stiff-arm other offers while waiting for this championship series to go the full distance? I have my doubts.
Plus, the Bucks waiting on what happens to the Knicks doesn’t even factor in what Antetokounmpo himself wants. As with any player of his caliber, Antetokounmpo has to actually want to go to New York for Milwaukee to explore the possibility of engaging more with the Knicks. Right now, it seems like he wants to go to South Beach and play for the Miami Heat. That would throw a big wrench in any potential trade conversations with New York.
By no means do I think the Bucks will get the massive trade haul they’re hoping for from anyone before the finals end. That would be silly. But taking this approach with the Knicks as a possible future trade partner reeks of bad process. Because, let’s think about it, why would the Knicks break up a team clearly good enough to win the title, even if they fall just short? It’s wishful thinking.
It feels like the Bucks want to have their cake and eat it, too. That sort of approach seldom works out.
“I feel like the Knicks will win the whole thing,” [Giannis] Antetokounmpo said during a livestream appearance. “In basketball, there’s like a momentum. They [the Knicks] won like 11 in a row. And you know, the city [New York] just rallies behind them.”
“I feel like the Knicks will win the whole thing,” [Giannis] Antetokounmpo said during a livestream appearance. “In basketball, there’s like a momentum. They [the Knicks] won like 11 in a row. And you know, the city [New York] just rallies behind them.”
To be sure, these comments don’t really say anything meaningful about Antetokounmpo’s NBA future, but I’m sure some Knicks fans will take them and run with them anyway if their team loses the finals.
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