Trade Idea: Knicks Send Barrett to Bucks in Antetokounmpo Blockbuster
The 2023-24 NBA season is inching closer Even if the New York Knicks are unlikely to make a massive trade between now and the season opener on Oct. 25 But observers have had their fun imagining what a deal could look like for a basketball superstar ready to leave their current setting.
Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo has been the subject of trade rumors in the past, but those rumblings heated up this offseason after a recent appearance on Bleav's "48 Minutes."
"I am a Milwaukee Buck, but most importantly I am a winner," Antetokounmpo said. "I want to win. I have to do whatever it takes to win, and if there is a better situation for me to win the Larry O’Brien Trophy, I have to take that situation.”
With those comments in mind, Andy Bailey Bleacher Report cooked up a trade idea between the Bucks and Knicks that would send Antetokounmpo to New York.
The deal would send RJ Barrett, Evan Fournier, Immanuel Quickley, Quentin Grimes, first round picks in 2024, 2025, 2027, and 2029, and a 2030 first-round pick swap to the Bucks for Antetokounmpo and Pat Connaughton.
"In the wake of this deal, the Knicks would be left with a core of Jalen Brunson, Julius Randle, Mitchell Robinson, Josh Hart, Donte DiVincenzo and Giannis." Bailey writes. "They could use a little more shooting, but that's at least the start of a title contender,"
The Knicks are building a potential contender with a mix of players they wish to keep (Brunson, Randle) and a group of players who could amount to something, but are more likely to be dealt for another star. With the clock ticking on Randle's prime, the Knicks' urgency may soon grow as the season moves forward. If that's the case and Antetokounmpo asks out, the Knicks should be the first to call the Bucks for his services.