Trading Giannis Antetokounmpo to the New York Knicks, his rumored preferred landing spot, could be the last nail in the Milwaukee Bucks' coffin. Moving on from their franchise cornerstone would be bad enough; moving him to a team with a lackluster stash of assets could set this franchise back for a decade or more. A new mock trade from Bleacher Report is proof of that.
This Knicks trade would be a disaster
If the Milwaukee Bucks trade Giannis, they need a clear path forward. When the OKC Thunder traded away Paul George, they got a nice young player in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and a boatload of picks to compensate them. It was clear that they were going all-in on youth and building for the future. In this particular trade, there is no vision for the Bucks.
Towns, an All-Star center, certainly isn't helping the team rebuild. Flipping him for more assets is likely off the table, as teams won't be banging down the door for an aging center who is a liability on the defensive end making over $53 million in each of the next three seasons. McBride and Dadiet are a pair of interesting young players, but this is Giannis we are talking about.
Do those three players fill the void left behind by Giannis and help this team contend for a title? No. Do they give the Milwaukee Bucks enticing young players who can take on a larger role in Milwaukee and potentially break out into something more in time? Also no.
The pick situation is truly laughable. The Milwaukee Bucks trading away arguably the best player in the history of the franchise and not getting even one straight-up first-rounder would be horrendous. Pick swaps from the team getting the superstar aren't often valuable. Sure, six second rounders may be nice, but again, this is a trade for GIANNIS ANTETOKOUNMPO.
Teams like the San Antonio Spurs and Atlanta Hawks can offer the Bucks young players and picks to lessen the pain of trading Giannis. The Greek Freak can hope he gets traded to New York, but unless they find a way to expand their asset stash, he's not going there, in all likelihood. The Bucks have to get back an adequate return, and this deal is anything but that.
The Knicks simply might be a team the Bucks have to steer clear of in any Giannis talks.
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