'One emerged as the only place Antetokounmpo wanted to play': Shams Charania reveals Bucks star’s preferred destination

According to Shams Charania, the Milwaukee Bucks held legitimate trade discussions with the New York Knicks during the offseason.

“Several teams were discussed internally, but one emerged as the only place Antetokounmpo wanted to play outside of Milwaukee: the New York Knicks, multiple sources with direct knowledge of the situation told ESPN,” Charania wrote on his article.

Despite constant speculation from the media, fans, and even other players, Giannis Antetokounmpo has repeatedly voiced his loyalty to Milwaukee. When he led the Bucks to their long-awaited championship in 2021, it appeared he was destined to finish his career there.

Yet the rumors never stopped, and as the Bucks’ postseason runs have fallen short in recent years, that once-stable relationship has grown increasingly strained.

“The Bucks picked up the Knicks’ call on Antetokounmpo, and the sides engaged in conversations for a window of time in August, league sources said, but the teams never got traction on a deal,” the NBA insider continued.

“The Bucks insisted to the Knicks that they preferred not to move Antetokounmpo, but those in Milwaukee believe New York did not make a strong enough offer to continue even discussing a trade, league sources said. It’s unclear how the Bucks would have responded to an all-out chase by the Knicks. The multiweek process was described by one source with direct knowledge of the talks as an exclusive negotiating window. New York, for its part, believes the Bucks never were serious about entertaining an Antetokounmpo trade, sources said.”

Bucks and Giannis’ interesting season ahead

Milwaukee has fallen in the opening round of the playoffs for three straight years. This offseason, they showed once again that they are not afraid of bold decisions, parting ways with Damian Lillard and bringing in Myles Turner, who just helped the Pacers reach the Finals.

Given how Milwaukee have handled their recent moves and the possibility that both the team and Antetokounmpo have thought about separating, this is a situation the rest of the league is likely to keep a close eye on throughout the season.