Knicks Rumors: Latest Buzz Involving Giannis Following Karl-Anthony Town Trade | News, scores, highlights, stats and rumors

The New York Knicks are reportedly in the mix as a potential suitor for Giannis Antetokounmpo.

According to NBA insider Marc Stein, New York was seen as a “down-the-road trade candidate” for the Milwaukee Bucks star, although Stein noted that this was before the Knicks acquired Karl-Anthony Towns from the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Since the trade, however, “more than one rival team” has “wondered out loud” whether the Knicks made the trade for Towns to later use him in a deal for Antetokounmpo, according to Stein.

Last week, CBS Sports’ Bill Reiter reported that an anonymous Western Conference team executive said “teams are circling in circles — and hopeful” that Antetokounmpo could be traded sometime in the 2024-2025 season.

Reiter also said another executive said they “wouldn’t be surprised” if a trade happens before the deadline, while a third executive named the Miami Heat and Brooklyn Nets as Antetokounmpo’s favorite trade destinations.

After the Bucks won a championship in 2021, trading Antetokounmpo seemed like a laughable scenario. Three years later, this could be the best move for both parties.

Milwaukee hasn’t advanced past the second round of the playoffs since the title run, coming off a string of first-round exits, including last year when the Bucks brought in veteran star Damian Lillard.

Six games into the 2024-2025 season, Antetokounmpo, Lillard and the Bucks are 1-6.

The 2021 NBA MVP was his usual dominant self, averaging 31 points, 12.3 rebounds and 6.3 assists to start the year. Lillard was also good, with 26.2 points, 6.7 assists and five boards to start.

However, the excellent play of Antetokounmpo and Lillard wasn’t enough to translate into wins in Doc Rivers’ first full season as head coach, and some kind of change seems inevitable.

The new-look Knicks had an average start to the year at 3-2. Towns was solid, with 22.2 points, 11.2 rebounds and three assists per game, including a 44-point performance in a win over Miami.

While the 28-year-old Towns could make New York a major threat in the East, the Knicks likely wouldn’t mind trading him if it meant bringing in a player like Antetokounmpo.

Whether either team is willing to make a blockbuster trade this season remains to be determined.