Giannis Preferred Knicks Over Nets — And That Might Be a Blessing in Disguise

If the Brooklyn Nets had the interest of Giannis Antetokounmpo and opted not to pursue the two-time MVP, many would've seen that as a missed opportunity, while others rejoice over the fact that the franchise didn't wager its entire future.

Whichever side of the Antetokounmpo-to-Brooklyn aisle you stand on, at this point, is irrelevant, because the Greek Freak never viewed the Nets as his preferred destination outside of Milwaukee. Instead, Antetokounmpo wanted to be a Knick if his Bucks tenure were to end, per ESPN's Shams Charania.

"New York emerged as the only team Giannis Antetokounmpo desired outside of Milwaukee in the offseason, sources told ESPN, and the Knicks and Bucks engaged in talks for a window of time," Charania posted to X on Tuesday.

With the knowledge that Antetokounmpo was never a realistic target, Brooklyn's offseason moves now look even better. Not only did they utilize their cap space in intelligent ways, acquiring tradeable vets and future picks as a thank you for paying bloated salaries, but the Nets didn't part with any of their youngsters.

Assuming New York would've been forced to deal multiple members of their Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges core, Brooklyn likely wouldn't have been a realistic landing spot even if Antetokounmpo was interested. The Nets' front office isn't in the position to match the value the Knicks could offer, and even if they could, there's no way they would.

Antetokounmpo would have a guarantee that two of the guys listed above—one undoubtedly being Brunson—would be there upon his acquisition. That's a far better situation than he could've been offered in Brooklyn, even with all of its roster turnover this summer.

The Nets don't have their franchise face yet, but they must wait for one to appear organically. Chasing top-five players in the league and potentially giving up so many assets that the front office has masterfully acquired just wouldn't fall in line with Brooklyn's moves post-big-three era.

Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden's failure to reach a conference finals in their limited time together as Nets certainly reminded the organization of its past shortcomings when targeting top talent. And with Jordi Fernandez at the helm, someone who is a guru when it comes to player development, there really isn't a need to risk it all less than five years after that tactic collapsed.

Maybe one day Antetokounmpo will eventually land in the Big Apple, either with Brooklyn or New York, but neither side appears to be the right fit at this time.