Giannis Antetokounmpo will begin the season with the Bucks this season as he has done for his entire 12-year career. As Antetokounmpo's star has risen in the NBA, there have been whispers that he would eventually want a bigger market, but they have mostly sounded like the wishes of other franchises and fanbases without much merit.
During a Zoom call last week Antetokounmpo revealed that he had considered playing elsewhere during the offseason, but obviously didn't name any teams. Now in a new report from ESPN's Shams Charania, the NBA insider has revealed that not only did the Bucks entertain a trade for their star, but he actually approved the potential destination following a face-to-face meeting between himself, one of his agents and Bucks general manager John Horst.
According to Charania, Milwaukee engaged in actual trade talks with the Knicks over the summer.
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.
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 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.
The Bucks have been eliminated in the first round of the playoffs in each of the last three seasons. The team again proved willing to make big moves this offseason by waiving Damian Lillard and signing Myles Turner fresh off a run to the Finals with the Pacers.
The way the Bucks have made these moves, combined with the fact that they and Antetokounmpo have at least considered parting ways, this seems like a story that the rest of the league will continue to monitor all season.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Shams Charania Reveals Where Giannis Antetokounmpo Wanted Bucks to Trade Him .
