The New York Knicks swept their way past the Philadelphia 76ers and back to the Eastern Conference Finals for the second straight year. They are deservedly the favorite to represent the East in the NBA Finals. While this was a Jekyll and Hyde season for them, filled with impressive peaks and lowly valleys, right now, it's hard to believe they'd come up short against the Detroit Pistons or Cleveland Cavaliers.
It's also hard to envision them emerging as the winners of the Giannis Antetokounmpo sweepstakes. It's another contest they were once considered the favorites for in some people's eyes. However, the Milwaukee Bucks' cupboard is barren. If they trade a two-time MVP and the face of their franchise, they'll need some combination of draft capital and promising young talent.
As ESPN's Shams Charania recently reported, the expectation is that the Bucks hold firm on their trade deadline demand: A young blue-chip talent and/or a package of draft picks. The Knicks don't align as a good partner to provide that.
The Knicks' chances of getting Giannis in a multi-team trade also seem small
Whether one is or isn't in favor of the Boston Celtics going that route to acquire the 10-time All-Star, a scenario like sending Jaylen Brown to the Atlanta Hawks to make it happen seems realistic. Brown's hometown team could, in turn, trade Jalen Johnson as the centerpiece of a package that satisfies Milwaukee's demands to part with Antetokounmpo.
However, just like the Bucks probably would find more value in the return for Brown than bringing him on board a roster that's not built to contend around him, there's even less of an incentive to go that route with Karl-Anthony Towns. The same is true for Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby.
Any of them individually is unlikely to fetch the young, blue-chip talent or necessary picks to get Milwaukee to sign off on a deal to send Antetokounmpo to the "Big Apple." And if they could, why would the team that's willing to trade that package for Towns, Bridges, or Anunoby not be willing to do so to reel in the bigger fish? That's a challenging needle for the Knicks to thread. It seems unlikely that they'd be able to do so.
They could trade two of those players, likely Towns and Anunoby, for a return that enables them to pair a nine-time All-NBA selection with Jalen Brunson. That's their best shot and a scenario one can't rule out. It could be what it takes to get New York over the hump and one day have a championship parade down the city's Canyon of Heroes.
However, organizations willing to cough up first-round picks for players like Towns and Anunoby might not be offering draft capital with enough projected value to top other potential offers the Bucks might receive. It's the best path to bring Antetokounmpo to the Knicks, yet it might not be enough.
Add us as a preferred source on Google