NBA Insider Says Knicks Are Preparing to Poach Giannis Antetokounmpo From Bucks

The Milwaukee Bucks may not have Giannis Antetokounmpo as locked down for next season as they would hope.

After spending the first nine seasons of his career with the Bucks, Antetokounmpo has expressed he is open to playing with another team. Milwaukee is doing everything in their power to keep the superstar satisfied, which has included signing former Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner.

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But even though the Bucks are working hard to hold onto Antetokounmpo, several teams around the league are reportedly preparing for him to be on the market. The New York Knicks, specifically, have yet to extend forward Mikal Bridges until they know the status of Antetokounmpo’s availability. 

“With the Knicks and all the other teams kind of keeping an eye on Milwaukee and what may or may not happen there, I think one of the reasons why he (Bridges) has not been extended yet is because once you extend him, you cannot trade him for six months,” Ian Begley of SNY said on The Putback. “And I think until the Giannis stuff is fully settled, and I don’t think it’s fully settled yet, as much as I’m sure Bucks fans hate to hear that because I would hate to hear that if I was a Bucks fan, but I don’t think it’s fully settled yet.”

Begley added that if the Knicks extend Bridges, it likely means Antetokounmpo has agreed to remain in Milwaukee for the 2025-26 season.

“And so as teams continue to keep an eye on that, continue to at least plan with that somewhere in the back of their mind, I think that’s why you haven’t seen Bridges extended yet. When he does extend, I think that would tell you Giannis is put to bed, is off the table in a sense,” Begley said.

The Bucks do not want to trade Antetokounmpo, especially now that he is developing into the point forward they have wanted him to be. Milwaukee is building their team around the two-time NBA Most Valuable Player, so his departure would tarnish the Bucks’ plans.

The Bucks are expected to be a stronger team in the Eastern Conference with the Pacers and Boston Celtics lacking superstars Tyrese Haliburton and Jayson Tatum. But whether Antetokounmpo stays in Milwaukee or not likely depends on how the Bucks offseason goes.

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