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Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks during a playoff game against the Indiana Pacers in Indianapolis
on April 29, 2025. Justin Casterline/Getty Images
Giannis Antetokounmpo wants to be the biggest star in the nation’s biggest city, and it couldn’t come at a better time for the New York Knicks.
His New York interest surfaced on May 17 when he was asked to name his “favorite city to play in on the road,” and he answered “New York.” If the longtime Milwaukee Bucks 6-foot-11 star forward gets traded to the Big Apple, he will join a Knicks franchise fresh off at least an Eastern Conference Finals appearance.
New York secured a spot in the conference finals on May 16 with a 119–81 victory over the defending NBA champion Boston Celtics for a 4–2 series win. The Knicks benefited from Celtics star forward Jayson Tatum going down with a season-ending Achilles tendon injury, but New York was already flipping the script after getting swept by the Celtics in the regular season.
If Antetokounmpo left Milwaukee for Gotham, that would make the Knicks all the more formidable in the East next season—regardless of whether this year’s run results in a title or not. The Knicks face the Indiana Pacers in the East finals, which tip off on Wednesday, and the winner will get either the Minnesota Timberwolves or Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA Finals.
An NBA champion in 2021, Antetokounmpo hasn’t even led the Bucks to a conference finals series since that year. The Bucks lost in the East semifinals in 2022 and bowed out in the first round for the past three seasons, which included this year’s quarterfinals loss to the Pacers, 4–1.
Milwaukee’s winning percentage has dipped along the way, too, with this season’s .585 mark the team’s lowest since 2018. The Bucks also failed to win the Central Division for the first time since that same year.
In addition, the Bucks haven’t been stable on the coaching front with a third coach in three seasons. Doc Rivers, the current Bucks head coach, has led a team to the finals only twice in 26 years of coaching.
“I love Doc,” Antetokounmpo told reporters after a season-ending loss on April 29.
“I think he’s a great human being. Great dude, knows how to uplift your spirit, knows always the right thing to say at the right moment. ... I remember when I was a kid, watching him on TV.
“I love him, not only as a coach, as a person, I think he’s a great person. ... I love working with him.”
Rivers took over in the middle of the 2023-2024 season after the Bucks fired Adrian Griffin. Fellow former Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer endured a similar fate with the team in 2023, even though he had led Milwaukee to its first title since 1971 just two years earlier.
Antetokounmpo made it clear during the season-ending press conference that the team’s veterans need to step up. He did his part in the playoffs with 33 points and 15.4 rebounds per game.
Milwaukee also took a hit with a season-ending injury to star guard Damian Lillard during the playoffs. Lillard averaged 24.9 points, 4.7 rebounds, 7.1 assists, and 1.2 steals in his second year with the Bucks.
The duo of Antetokounmpo and Lillard hasn’t produced the desired results in Milwaukee since a 2023 trade with the Portland Trail Blazers. Milwaukee hasn’t won 50 games in a regular season, and has won just three playoff games since the addition.
Antetokounmpo could have numerous suitors that are title contenders if the Bucks are willing to trade. Besides the Knicks, Antetokounmpo could land with the Los Angeles Lakers, Golden State Warriors, Miami Heat, Houston Rockets, San Antonio Spurs, or Brooklyn Nets.
All of those teams made the playoffs except for the Spurs and Nets. The Spurs have a young elite player in Victor Wembanyama, and the Nets have built a contending roster rapidly in the past.
The Bucks are meeting with Antetokounmpo next week about his wishes, according to independent NBA reporter Chris Haynes. That could determine if Antetokounmpo stays or hits Broadway, Hollywood, or something in between.
Matthew Davis is an experienced, award-winning journalist who has covered major professional and college sports for years. His writing has appeared on Heavy, the Star Tribune, and The Catholic Spirit. He has a degree in mass communication from North Dakota State University.
