‘A lot of people tried to convince’ Giannis Antetokounmpo to join Knicks as star confirms flirtation

Giannis Antetokounmpo gave a rare glimpse into his mindset toward the future — and the one city some are trying to push him to.

Antetokounmpo, while speaking to internet personality iShowSpeed, explained that many people were trying to convince him to play in New York while at the center of trade rumors this offseason.

“New York tax is bad,” iShowSpeed said to Antetokounmpo.

“A lot of people that tried to convince me to go and play there and stuff,” Antetokounmpo revealed.

Both the Knicks and Nets have been linked to the two-time MVP this offseason, with Brooklyn showing clear interest.

When asked whether he was staying in Milwaukee, Antetokounmpo replied “probably.”

“Probably. We’ll see,” Antetokounmpo added. “I love Milwaukee.”

“Probably. We’ll see. I love Milwaukee.”

– Giannis on staying in Milwaukee

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An ESPN report from late June stated Antetokounmpo was observing the Bucks’ moves this offseason very carefully, as the team had nearly exhausted all of its assets up to that point in an attempt to compete for championships in years past.

Waiving Damian Lillard, who tore his Achilles during the playoffs, to sign Myles Turner was generally considered a desperate move this offseason to keep Antetokounmpo happy.

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Although Antetokounmpo has not officially requested a trade, his comment shows just how touch-and-go his situation is.

Any trade to the Knicks would be rather complicated, as they would almost certainly have to trade Karl-Anthony Towns to make the salaries match up.

Milwaukee also does not control any of its own draft picks until 2031, further complicating matters as the team cannot simply bottom out and hope to rebuild through the draft.

As fluid as it has been with the Bucks over the past year, Antetokounmpo is said to have been doing “a lot of observing” to see how the team intends to contend for championships, per ESPN.

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Milwaukee won the NBA championship in 2021 and has since endured disappointing playoffs exits.

The Bucks fell to the Celtics in the conference semifinals in their title defense before being upset by Jimmy Butler and the Heat in the first round in 2023 while Antetokounmpo missed two of the games.

The Pacers eliminated Milwaukee in the first round each of the last two seasons to extend the Bucks’ drought to three years without a playoff series win.

At least one sportsbook expects Atntetokounmpo to suit up for the Bucks next season.