Knicks Make Giannis Over Karl-Anthony Towns Decision in Mock Trade

The New York Knicks went to the Eastern Conference Finals last season and are back at it again this year, sitting at 9-5 and first in the Atlantic Division. Towns has fit in well since arriving from Minnesota, giving New York a legitimate second star next to Jalen Brunson.

But, the Giannis Antetokounmpo conversation never really went away after those summer trade talks, and now a mock trade proposal has people asking whether the Knicks should make a run at the two-time MVP.

New Mock Trade Would Send Towns and Multiple Picks to Milwaukee

A mock trade from Bleacher Report's Andrew Bailey showed up on SleeperKnicks' social media account this week. The proposal has New York sending Towns, Pacôme Dadiet, three first-round pick swaps in 2028, 2030 and 2032, plus seven second-round picks to Milwaukee for Giannis.

MOCK TRADE (via Bleacher Report’s @AndrewDBailey) ‼️

Bucks:
- Karl-Anthony Towns
- Pacôme Dadiet
- 2028 first-round pick swap
- 2030 first-round pick swap
- 2032 first-round pick swap
- 7 second-round picks

Knicks:
- Giannis Antetokounmpo

Deal or no deal?!? 🤔 👇 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/FoW0ZFL3hP
— SleeperKnicks (@SleeperKnicks) November 19, 2025

Towns is averaging 21.5 points and 12.8 rebounds this season for the Knicks. He gives them elite spacing as one of the best shooting bigs in the league. But Giannis is playing at an MVP level right now, putting up 31.2 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 6.8 assists per game on 63 percent shooting. He leads Milwaukee in all three categories and is carrying an 8-7 Bucks team almost by himself.

A Brunson-Giannis pairing would be scary to defend. Brunson is averaging 28 points and 6.4 assists right now, and his pull-up game, combined with Giannis's attacking the rim, would collapse defenses. That would leave shooters like Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby wide open on the perimeter.

Defensively, Giannis' length and mobility would fit next to Mitchell Robinson's rim protection and give New York a switchable lineup that can guard multiple positions.

The problem is what New York would have to give up. Trading Towns plus all those picks would leave the roster thin. The core would be Brunson, Giannis, Bridges, Anunoby and Robinson with not much behind them. That's the same concern that came up when real trade talks happened over the summer.

For Milwaukee, getting Towns would completely change how they play. Instead of Giannis attacking the rim, they'd become a spacing-heavy team built around shooting. Towns next to Myles Turner and Kyle Kuzma would give them plenty of pick-and-pop options. But their defense would take a hit. The Bucks already allow 118.7 points per game with Giannis protecting the rim, and swapping him for Towns would make that worse.

Knicks and Bucks Talked About A Giannis Trade This Summer

This isn't just hypothetical. ESPN's Shams Charania reported in early October that the Knicks and Bucks held multi-week trade conversations over the summer. New York even got an exclusive negotiation window in August to try and work out a deal.

The reporting said Giannis had expressed interest in the Knicks if he ever got traded, which is why New York was the team involved in those talks. But that window expired without anything happening, and people around the league said Milwaukee never seriously intended to move him.

Brunson was off-limits in any trade discussion. A real package would have centered on Towns, Anunoby and Robinson plus draft picks. The Knicks worried about gutting the roster and not having enough depth around Giannis and Brunson to actually win. Milwaukee never saw New York's offers as good enough to consider trading their franchise player.

Bridges got extended on July 31, which created a six-month trade restriction until February 1. That meant he couldn't be included in any summer deal. Some people saw that as the Knicks keeping their options open to trade him later for a true superstar, but it also meant he was unavailable during those August talks.

Nov 17, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) holds the ball beside Cleveland Cavaliers forward De'Andre Hunter (12) in the first quarter at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images | David Richard-Imagn Images

Giannis put an end to the rumors when Milwaukee hosted New York in late October. He dropped 37 points, eight rebounds and seven assists in a 121-111 win. After the game, reporters asked him about the report that he'd only waive his no-trade clause for the Knicks. He shut it down hard, saying he doesn't read those rumors and that Milwaukee is his city. Head coach Doc Rivers backed him up, saying the Bucks never shopped Giannis.

Giannis is under contract through 2026-27 with a player option for 2027-28 after signing a three-year, $186 million extension in October 2023. That gives Milwaukee control for at least two more full seasons unless he formally asks out. Right now he's sidelined with a low-grade left groin strain and will miss one to two weeks, but that's not a long-term issue.

The Knicks already have a good thing going. They went 51-31 last season and made the conference finals. This year, they're scoring 120.8 points per game with a top-10 offense. Whether they should trade all that depth and draft capital for Giannis depends on whether Milwaukee would ever actually make him available, and right now the Bucks are saying no.

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