New York Knicks Won’t Sign Mikal Bridges to Extension Until They Know for Certain Giannis Antetokounmpo Is Staying With Milwaukee Bucks

According to NBA insider Ian Begley of SNY, the New York Knicks won’t sign Mikal Bridges to an extension until they know for certain Giannis Antetokounmpo is staying with the Milwaukee Bucks.

Bridges is eligible to sign an extension with the Knicks this offseason. The max is four years, $156 million.

After the Bucks lost to the Indiana Pacers in the first round of the 2025 playoffs, NBA insider Shams Charania of ESPN reported that Antetokounmpo was open-minded about leaving Milwaukee. 

“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,” Begley 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.

“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.”

The Bucks have been busy this offseason. They waived and stretched Damian Lillard to sign Myles Turner, re-signed Bobby Portis, Kevin Porter Jr., Gary Trent Jr., Taurean Prince and Jericho Sims and signed Gary Harris. 

Giannis Antetokounmpo told popular streamer IShowSpeed that he’s “probably” staying with the Bucks. However, it looks like the Knicks still believe there’s a chance the NBA superstar could ask out of Milwaukee.

New York made the conference finals last season for the first time since 2000, losing to Indiana in six games. Tom Thibodeau was fired as head coach and replaced by Mike Brown.

The Knicks signed Guerschon Yabusele and Jordan Clarkson this offseason in free agency.