Knicks Should Remain Cautious of Other Giannis Antetokounmpo Suitors

The NBA fans who've only followed reports from ESPN's Shams Charania would assume that the New York Knicks are the clear front-runners to land Giannis Antetokounmpo, and that logic isn't hard to track. The league's biggest market is finally fielding a team good enough to attract interest from stars from the outside, and if the increasingly-antsy two-time MVP had his way, he'd make the jump from the spiraling Milwaukee Bucks to the Big Apple with as few strings attached as possible.

Two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo is ready for a new home at the Feb. 5 NBA trade deadline or in the offseason as several rival teams make aggressive offers to the Milwaukee Bucks for him, and the franchise is starting to listen, league sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/OejatbQjDy
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 28, 2026

The league-shaking hypothetical sure is fun to imagine, especially for Knicks fans eager to see the historic franchise finally return to championship glory for the first time since 1973. They made the Eastern Conference Finals just last season, and would flip into the conference's likeliest NBA Finals pick instantly upon the transaction.

But in terms of assets that they have to meaningfully entertain the Bucks with in the event of such a trade, the Knicks have very little to offer. Milwaukee would be primarily interested in draft capital, with Antetokounmpo's departure leaving little else of note on the already-underwhelming roster, and New York has zero tradable first-round picks to toss into a proposal. And as far as matching salaries go, Karl-Anthony Towns won't field nearly as much intrigue in Milwaukee as the former Finals MVP has.

The Knicks may be Antetokounmpo's desired landing spot, but they'll be far from the only squad gunning for the perennial MVP candidate. Should New York look to remain in the hunt, perhaps engaging other teams to help facilitate the deal, it'll need to know who it's bidding against.

Knicks' Direct Giannis Competition

If there's one team who can sting Bucks fans with a Giannis theft, it's the Miami Heat. Milwaukee's in-conference rivals tortured the Bucks multiple times over the course of the early 2020s, ending several contending missions with playoff upsets over Antetokounmpo and friends.

No perfect trade package for the star exists in a league with this many monetary trade restrictions, but the Heat have enough pieces to make the race interesting. Tyler Herro isn't any more enticing of an asset as Towns is, but unlike New York, Miami has interesting prospects to toss into a deal, with many mock trades including a combination of Kel'el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr. and several of the Heat's eligible first-round picks.

Milwaukee Bucks Forward Giannis Antetokounmpo and Miami Heat Guard Tyler Herro — Oct 30, 2023; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) reacts after scoring a basket as Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro (14) looks on in the fourth quarter at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images | Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

That's one of the better options to ponder should the Bucks look to keep Antetokounmpo within the east. The Toronto Raptors had their own shot to throw their hat into the sweepstakes, but their reported choice to make Scottie Barnes and Brandon Ingram untouchable in a swap deflated their odds immediately, per the Dallas Hoops Journal.

The Golden State Warriors are also widely-projected to make a compelling case of their own, occupying sole ownership of the vast majority of their desirable picks. Most of the contracts that they'd have to throw in to match salaries threaten to challenge Milwaukee's interest in Golden State as a trade partner, though; Jimmy Butler just tore his ACL, Draymond Green's play continues tailing off by the season and Jonathan Kuminga's trade market is non-existent, according to his own general manager.

Mike Dunleavy on the Jonathan Kuminga trade demand: “I’m aware of that. In terms of demands, when you make a demand there needs to be demand.” pic.twitter.com/XOGXj3HFrs
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) January 21, 2026

That's going to be a name to look out for in the Warriors' attempt at salvaging whatever remains of Stephen Curry's profitable years, as will fringe bets like the asset-laden (but conservative) Oklahoma City Thunder and the Portland Trail Blazers, a competitive squad who need a lead option to guide their many complementary players.

If Antetokounmpo makes things difficult in demanding his way to the Knicks, other organizations could reasonably step in to snatch up a few stray picks while one of the NBA's biggest stars joins the league's marquee destination. But if they're just looking for whatever move benefits the Bucks without listening to their dispirited franchise face, expect New York to get squeezed out of the hunt quicker than once expected.

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