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NBA Insider Names the Team Giannis Would ‘Love’ to Play for If Not the Knicks

The Knicks have repeatedly popped up as Antetokounmpo’s top option, but another Eastern Conference team’s name has been thrown in.

Madison Williams

Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo is exploring some trade options.
Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo is exploring some trade options. / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
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Giannis Antetokounmpo opened up talks with the Bucks about his future last week, and since then, a couple of teams have popped up as possible trade destinations for the two-time MVP.

The top option for Antetokounmpo repeatedly appears to be the Knicks. The Bucks reportedly spoke with the Knicks this offseason about a potential Antetokounmpo trade, but nothing came to fruition.

If the Bucks do decide to trade Antetokounmpo and nothing works out with the Knicks, the Greek star is reportedly keeping his options open. The Ringer’s Howard Beck shared what he’s been hearing around the league, and the Miami Heat have appeared as another top option for Antetokounmpo.

“In doing the Giannis story and talking to people around the league, after New York, Miami was suggested to me as a place Giannis would really love to land if it’s not New York,” Beck said on The Zach Lowe Show. “Where Giannis wants to go is only one piece of this and it’s not going to be determinative necessarily, it still comes down to what the Bucks can get from their trade partner. ... It would not surprise me if the Heat found a way.”

We’ll see if the Heat do come up with a way to acquire Antetokounmpo before the trade deadline in February. Otherwise, there’s a few other teams that would gladly want to find an opportunity to bring Antetokounmpo in. It’ll be exciting to see what comes out of these potential trade talks.

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Madison Williams
MADISON WILLIAMS

Madison Williams is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated, where she specializes in tennis but covers a wide range of sports from a national perspective. Before joining SI in 2022, Williams worked at The Sporting News. Having graduated from Augustana College, she completed a master’s in sports media at Northwestern University. She is a dog mom and an avid reader.

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