NBA Notes: Bucks, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Knicks, East Finals, Sixers, Draft

After all, it didn’t go so well for Milwaukee when it traded franchise center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to the Lakers back in June 1975.

“So, I proffer this advice to Bucks: Hold on to the Greek Freak for dear life,” Peterson wrote. “Do not let him go. Do not trade him to the highest bidder. I don’t care if the Dallas Mavericks throw in the No. 1 pick, more draft picks and Jerry World (scratch that; the Green Bay Packers already own AT&T Stadium). Or the Rockets offer Alperen Sengun, more draft picks and NASA Mission Control. Or the San Antonio Spurs give up this year’s second pick, Stephon Castle, more draft picks and The Alamo. For Bucks fans, Giannis is their historic landmark.

“Do something radical and resist the urge to send the greatest player in franchise history to another NBA team because you think a surfeit of draft picks and a couple of rebuilding seasons is better in the long term.

“If the Bucks trade Giannis, the franchise could wander through an interminable, title-less winter for decades.”

• In case you missed it, a few surprise contenders could emerge if the Bucks do feel forced into an Antetokounmpo trade. The list includes the Pistons and 76ers, per a report.

Knicks

The Knicks find themselves in a 3-1 series hole to the Pacers in the Eastern Conference finals, with Indiana getting a chance to close it out Thursday at Madison Square Garden.

The reasons for losing Game 4 are many, with some railing against New York’s lack of focus.

“We didn’t match their pace and their inspiration, too,” big man Karl-Anthony Towns said, via Zach Braziller of the New York Post. “We just didn’t match what they came to do tonight to start the game and in true fashion to our whole playoff run we put ourselves in a deficit, got ourselves out of the deficit and usually we feel good about us in a close game going into the fourth quarter and showing our resilience. But you get burned if you put yourself in that position too many times.” 

The Knicks will have to win three straight to keep the season alive. But given that two of those games would be at MSG … well, only one of those wins would have to come in Indiana. That said, so far in this series, the Knicks are 0-2 at home.

“We gotta make sure we play with the proper approach and intensity and force and be connected,” coach Tom Thibodeau said. 

76ers

The Sixers are willing to listen to offers to trade down from their No. 3 overall draft pick, per Jake Fischer of The Stein Line.

“League sources tell The Stein Line that the Sixers are expected to at least listen to trade-down opportunities … but likewise stress that they are not expected to trade out of the pick entirely,” Fischer wrote.

“Sources say Philadelphia greatly values the opportunity to add a young player to its core, which already features 24-year-old Tyrese Maxey and soon-to-be-second-year guard Jared McCain to complement the veteran duo of Joel Embiid and Paul George.

“Don’t expect that duo, furthermore, to be broken up. Sources say that recent reports suggesting that the Sixers will be looking to explore George’s trade market in conjunction with the draft are a misread. There have been no indications that they are looking to package George with the No. 3 pick or try to move him on his own. The Sixers surely understand that there is little-to-no chance they could optimize a trade return for the 35-year-old after his injury-riddled maiden season as a Sixer … especially with three seasons remaining on George’s max deal.”