Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo has been in discussions with the team about a potential trade request, and the Knicks have come up as his preferred destination. However, New York lacks the young talent or substantial draft capital that can kick off a rebuild in Milwaukee.
It’s understandable that Giannis is rethinking his future after the Bucks’ woeful start to the season, but the Knicks are not ideal trade partners in this scenario.
The Knicks don’t have assets that the Bucks want
The Bucks are lacking in young talent themselves after multiple misses in the draft over Giannis’ prime. Currently, their only exceptional youngster is Ryan Rollins. He’s shown potential as a secondary ball handler and pick-and-roll operator, but the Bucks don’t want to rely on him as the only team cornerstone if they trade Giannis.
Unfortunately, the Knicks don’t have any promising young talent to send back. The average age of their top six players is 29 years old, with the youngest among them being 27-year-old Mitchell Robinson. At their ages, none of those guys will be around for the next great Bucks team if Giannis is traded.
Realistically, the Knicks would trade Karl-Anthony Towns and one of their other non-Brunson starters, along with draft picks, for Giannis. But those players are not good enough to contend with the Bucks current roster. And the draft picks aren’t the most tantalizing either.
The Knicks only have a few first-round picks available to trade - two of their own (which are likely to be very late picks) and one from the Wizards, which is heavily protected and likely to turn into two seconds. Given the Bucks’ draft record in recent seasons, they should probably lean towards acquiring a young star instead of draft picks anyway. Obtaining picks in the late 20s and the second round will only make it worse.
Even if Giannis makes his preferred trade destination clear, the Bucks still need to do their due diligence and try to get the best return package. Many other teams can offer more than the Knicks can. The ideal trade partner will have both promising young players AND high draft picks to offer for Giannis.
The Bucks should be holding out until it seems like they are asking too much for Giannis. He is still arguably the league’s best two-way player and would be the primary option on almost any team he joins. For a generational superstar like that, a suitor should be willing and able to give up a war chest of assets.
Limiting Giannis’ trade destination to one team, especially one as ill-equipped as the Knicks, would be a disaster for the Bucks. They must keep their options open and force suitors to bid against each other.