Knicks Rivals Wonder If Karl-Anthony Towns Trade Was About Giannis Rush

With the Milwaukee Bucks having a rough start to the season, there are rumors that Giannis Antetokounmpo could ask to be traded in the future.

There have been a few teams that have been mentioned in a pursuit of Antetokounmpo over the years, including the New York Knicks. Now, with the recent Karl-Anthony Towns trade, there are rumors that the trade could be part of a pursuit of Antetokounmpo, according to Marc Stein.

“The Knicks, meanwhile, have been mentioned more often in recent months than the Heat or Warriors as potential trade suitors for Antetokounmpo… albeit prior to their late-September acquisition of Karl-Anthony Towns from Minnesota,” Stein wrote. “I heard more than one rival team after the trade, mind you, wondering aloud whether having a player of Towns’ caliber on the roster for a potential future Antetokounmpo offer was among the Knicks’ motivations for giving in to their longstanding reluctance to include Donte DiVincenzo in trade talks with the Timberwolves and pushing for that deal to be completed when they did in addition to New York’s obvious need for a top-line center.

“Be aware that all of these concepts assume that the Bucks, if backed into such a corner, would agree to work with their star on potential trade destinations rather than heading to the market purely to pursue the richest combination of young talent and draft compensation. Antetokounmpo is under contract for two full seasons beyond this one before he can decline his $63 million player option in 2027-28 to become a free agent.”