Ahead of the 2025-26 NBA season, there were trade rumors surrounding Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo. The team that Antetokounmpo is reportedly interested in playing for is the New York Knicks, per ESPN’s Shams Charania. When the season started, the rumors died down for a while. However, it picked up again after Karl-Anthony Towns’ first game of the season, where he had the same foul trouble.
Adding the Greek Freak to the already stacked Knicks team could create a huge threat for the entire Eastern Conference and most of the NBA. But the Bucks are not willing to let Antetokounmpo go that easily, even if that means receiving Towns as part of the return package.
Knicks legend Stephon Marbury weighed in on the rumors. Based on what the former All-Star guard said, he doesn’t think adding a superstar like Antetokounmpo could improve the team. He shut down the trade rumors during an interview with Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson.
“Yeah, I think we’re set,” Marbury said. “I think we’re set. I think we have enough to win a championship. Our style of play fits for the guys that are playing our style to play… He’s not a great three-point shooter… And we… shoot threes, a lot of threes.”
The former two-time All-Star is right about Giannis Antetokounmpo’s inconsistencies from beyond the arc. However, he still adds a lot on the floor on both ends. He’s unstoppable with the ball, especially in transition and inside the paint.
But Marbury is firm that the Knicks won’t benefit from having a star player like the Bucks’ star.
The Knicks are encouraged to trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo
With Giannis Antetokounmpo naming the Knicks as the only franchise he’s willing to play for, even insiders are encouraging a potential trade for the star forward. Bleacher Report’s Greg Swartz urged New York to pursue the Bucks star.
“Antetokounmpo plus Jalen Brunson plus whatever wings are leftover would mean a championship-or-bust mentality for the Knicks, putting two of the NBA’s top-10 players on one roster. Swapping Karl-Anthony Towns in any Antetokounmpo deal would mean a huge upgrade defensively as well,” Swartz wrote.
“The Knicks should be happy with their roster as-is. If the opportunity is there to go get Antetokounmpo, however, New York simply can’t pass it up.”
The decision is still on the Bucks, whether they’ll trade Antetokounmpo or not.
For other sports-related content:
Follow me on- X at @BarbecueBro, and follow us at @HardwoodHeroics and @GridironHeroics. You can also reach out to Reign Amurao via email at reignamuraonba@gmail.com. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest sports news, click here!
Reign also writes NBA and WNBA news updates on Sportskeeda. He started as a feature writer for AirAlamo, an NBA website that covers the San Antonio Spurs. Some of his work can also be seen on Valley of the Suns, a Phoenix Suns-centric website, where he served as a contributing writer.
