No Milwaukee Bucks fan was thrilled by the latest Giannis Antetokounmpo trade talk. Aside from the fact that he is still in Milwaukee, there is, though, a silver lining to the whole ordeal. One thing Giannis didn't say is that he wants to play for just any title contender. Instead, he specifically named the Knicks as the one team he would want to play for outside of Milwaukee.
His stance could always change, but for now, that detail offers a modicum of comfort. Giannis isn't chomping at the bit to leave. He values more than raw title odds. He can afford to be choosy and still views Milwaukee as his No. 1 option. If he didn't, he would likely already be gone, expanding his list of preferred landing spots.
Giannis outlook could be a whole lot worse for Bucks
In theory, Giannis would have just as good a shot at a future championship in Oklahoma City, Cleveland, San Antonio, or with the Lakers - among other places.
Clearly, the Knicks offer a situation uniquely appealing to him were he to leave Milwaukee. They are already among the top threats in the East and have an extended championship window. Their starting core is locked up for years. There is also the factor of location. Maybe Giannis doesn't want to move out west. Bucks fans know how important his surroundings are for himself and his family.
The fact that the Knicks lack the assets to pull off a Giannis trade makes things more complicated, but that's not a negative for a Bucks fanbase desperate to see him stay. It isn't as simple as Giannis saying he wants a ticket to New York and the two teams' signing off on an obvious deal. Their depleted stock of draft picks and young talent makes a more challenging maneuver.
New York being his preferred landing spot is significant in another respect. Had Giannis tagged the Lakers, Clippers, or Warriors as his top spot, fans could logically wonder whether he would also consider one of the other California contenders, based on similar geography and setting, if a deal fell through with Team A. In the Western Conference in general, there are simply more teams on the rise.
The Knicks, on the other hand, are the only title-primed team in the state and essentially in the entire northeast region. There has been nothing to link Giannis to the other regional powerhouse, the Boston Celtics. Giannis could decide he is fine with a move down south, to somewhere like Miami, but again, he listed the Knicks and the Knicks only as his hypothetical, wink-wink first choice.
This is not a Kevin Durant in Phoenix situation, where the only unknown was which of his various suitors would land him. Houston emerged as the front-runners, but it did not single them out the way that Giannis and his camp singled out the Knicks.
Although it seems more likely than before, it still isn't clear that Antetokounmpo's time in Milwaukee is nearing an inevitable end. Giannis has reiterated that his focus is on this season with the Milwaukee Bucks. He isn't ready to ditch what he has built here over 12 seasons.
Where things stand now, Giannis has made clear that he would leave only under specific conditions: if the Bucks aren't contenders and if they can cut a deal with New York. His current stance is no guarantee, of course, it's not a contract or even a promise, but it's a nugget of hope to hold onto in a period of mounting uncertainty.