NBA Mock Blockbuster Trade: Knicks Acquire Giannis Antetokounmpo For Karl-Anthony Towns

Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks are unsure whether they are going to be a match for the long run and the Knicks are going all-in for a championship.

Nov 8, 2024; New York, New York, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) looks to shoot the ball against New York Knicks forward OG Anunoby (8) and center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) during the third quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks have repotedly not yet decided on the future of their superstar player.

Teams are waiting right now on what decision the NBA star makes. If he becomes available, multiple teams will be lining up to make a deal for the 6'11" NBA champion.

A team that should be atop that list? The New York Knicks.

New York Knicks - Milwaukee Bucks NBA Mock Trade

New York Knicks Receive

Giannis Antetokounmpo

Milwaukee Bucks Receive

Karl-Anthony Towns

Miles McBride

2 first-round draft picks

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Why This Trade Makes Sense For The Knicks

The Knicks have Giannis join Jalen Brunson, OG Anunoby, Josh Hart and the newly extended Mikal Bridges. The Knicks could opt to start Mitchell Robinson and have Hart come off the bench so they don't lose too much size. Giannis would give the Knicks a champion and a top five player in the NBA. While Towns had an impressive first season, it's hard to put him in the same class as Giannis.

One is a true superstar and the other is a star. The Knicks would instantly join the conversation as the potential favorite to come out of the Eastern Conference this season. Giannis is still in his prime at 30 years old and has two years left on his contract plus a player option for a third year at just under $63 million in 2027-2028.

The duo of Brunson and Giannis would be true theater. It would be a show every night at Madison Square Garden and must-see basketball. Captain Brunson has been Captain Clutch for this team, but now would have someone else to trust giving the ball to down the stretch of games. That second option is what the Knicks so badly were missing last year.

The New York Knicks have been closely monitoring Giannis Antetokounmpo’s situation with the Bucks, per @JLEdwardsIII

“It is my understanding that Leon Rose and company have been monitoring Giannis Antetokounmpo’s situation in Milwaukee very closely, even before the offseason… pic.twitter.com/jPOyhozCxk

— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) August 5, 2025

Why This Trade Makes Sense For The Bucks

The Bucks would satisfy their star's demands after all he did for the team and the city. It's hard to see a scenario where they actually want to trade Giannis, but if he chooses to move on, the Bucks should facilitate it for him. Karl-Towns is a really good player, so the drop off is not incredibly drastic in the return.

The numbers are similar as Towns also has two years left on his deal and a player option for $61 million in 2027-2028. The Bucks would also get a really strong defensive guard in McBride, who comes at a great deal in today's NBA at just $4 million a year for the next two seasons. After losing Damian Lillard, it would not hurt the Bucks to add some guard depth.

Karl-Towns would join Myles Turner in a unique frontcourt, where both can shoot the ball from downtown. The Bucks would have a lot of three-point shooting ability with this new lineup, which was one weakness in Giannis' game.

Fantasy Basketball Impact:

While the points per game might go down for Brunson, the Knicks offense becomes very dynamic with a lot of assist potential for the point guard and for Giannis. With doubles coming on the Greek Freak, Brunson, Bridges, Hart, OG and Robinson would thrive. For the Bucks, Karl-Towns scoring numbers may increase as he would become the focal points of the Bucks offense.