The New York Knicks have been able to build a competitive team with legitimate championship aspirations, and Milwaukee Bucks All-Star Giannis Antetokounmpo appears to be interested in joining the cause, as well as embracing all that the Big Apple has to offer.
There has been considerable speculation about Giannis' future over the past few weeks. According to NBA insider Jake Fischer, the Knicks have been on the former MVP’s mind.
“It's true: There's a strong belief leaguewide that Antetokounmpo desires one destination above all the rest in the event that he actually does fully ask out someday.
New York,” Fischer wrote.
“After some further calls, I can confirm that the Knicks — as well as playing in Madison Square Garden — were the specific “temptation” that Giannis himself publicly acknowledged on Bucks Media Day as an outcome he pondered during the summer. I've even heard that the rowdy fanbase gatherings outside the arena following playoff victories that the Knicks are known for have resonated given his natural fondness for the emotionally charged support so prevalent for basketball and soccer clubs throughout Europe. The wait for a championship at MSG, of course, has now stretched longer than Milwaukee's own 50-year title drought that the Antetokounmpo-led Bucks brought to a halt in July 2021.”
Giannis is currently sidelined due to a right calf strain that he suffered earlier this month, and the Bucks are just 10-15 on the season. Across 17 games this season, the 2021 NBA Finals MVP has averaged 28.9 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 6.1 assists.
This latest report comes following Giannis’ offseason comments on potentially being traded to another team.
“It's like temptation, you know? Like when you're going through the amusement park, and you're not wearing your wedding ring like me now, and people are looking at you like, ‘Oh, he's kind of handsome. Oh, temptation. That starts when the season ends until the season begins,” Antetokounmpo said. “There's going to be a lot of people that are going to approach me or my agents and say, ‘Hey, this is a possibility. That's a possibility.' But at the end of the day, I'm going to make a decision. My decision today is that I'm here, and I'm committed to
this team.”
Fans and pundits will be watching Giannis’ situation with the Bucks unfold, and the Knicks are largely considered the favorites to acquire him in a potential trade.
