- Joined
- Nov 26, 2012
- Messages
- 19,603
By registering with us, you'll be able to discuss, share and private message with other members of our community.
SignUp Now!So in Athens, Horst sat with Antetokounmpo and one of his agents, Giorgos Panou, for the sides' most seminal and candid meeting of the summer. It was meant to be an open forum to discuss any lingering hard feelings following Milwaukee's third consecutive first-round exit and thoughts on anyone's mind about the Bucks' moves. The architect of the Bucks' first title-winning team in 50 years laid out his vision for the 2025-26 season, saying he believed this version of the roster could compete for a championship in the Eastern Conference.
Antetokounmpo then responded. While Horst expressed his confidence in the Bucks' roster and his moves, Antetokounmpo aired his concerns about whether this team could truly achieve championship contention, and he wanted to explore whether there would be an alternative path forward for both the team and player, league sources said.
However, one of the game's greatest ever players is a hot button topic around the league entering the new season, and a final resolution could still await. In fact, the path to this point was far from straight, and nearly led the two-time NBA MVP to finding a new home in New York.
Ever since the NBA draft combine in mid-May, Alex Saratsis, an Octagon managing director and Antetokounmpo's U.S.-based representative, has fielded rampant interest in Antetokounmpo and conducted serious due diligence on best possible outside fits should the star and his reps push to be traded from the Bucks. 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 Knicks have had an eye on Antetokounmpo for the past couple of years under president Leon Rose, who heads a front office that built the franchise into a perennial playoff contender since taking over in 2020. People in league circles, including some in New York, have believed since 2024 that Antetokounmpo would eventually want to come to the Knicks if he ever explored a trade.
Even with that knowledge, the Knicks made a series of moves independent of Antetokounmpo's potential desires to try to move the franchise closer to a title. New York traded its treasure chest of draft picks to acquire Mikal Bridges from the Brooklyn Nets in June 2024, then sent Julius Randle, Donte DiVincenzo and a first-rounder to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Karl-Anthony Towns in early October 2024. The Knicks then signed Bridges to a four-year, $150 million extension this August, which makes him ineligible to be traded until February.
Those maneuvers left the Knicks' pool of nonplayer assets limited to one first-round pick, three pick swaps and eight second-rounders, essentially decimating their ability to make an overwhelming offer to Milwaukee.
ANTETOKOUNMPO HAS EXPRESSED publicly and privately over the past few years that he wants to win a second championship and that any failure to put the Bucks in a position to do so could lead him to look elsewhere. "I want to be on a team that allows me and gives me a chance to win a championship," Antetokounmpo said Sept. 29 at media day, where he appeared remotely after missing the start of training camp due to COVID-19. "I think it's a disservice to basketball, just to the game, to not want it to compete in a high level, to want your season to end in April."
In a telling exchange, Bucks managing governor Wes Edens said at media day that he had a conversation with Antetokounmpo in June when the Bucks' star expressed his commitment to Milwaukee. An hour later, Antetokounmpo said: "I cannot recall that meeting."
Bucks sources had feared, in part because of Antetokounmpo's expressed desire to win another championship, that he would make a formal trade request during the week of July 28 when Horst embarked on his one-day trip to Greece. Antetokounmpo was continuously asking himself, even after the Bucks' stunning release of Lillard to sign Turner: Can this roster truly compete for a title? Antetokounmpo had serious questions and shared his feelings directly with Horst.
This offseason marked the first time that Antetokounmpo truly initiated the pursuit of his best external options, and he had discussions with the Bucks that ultimately led to the conversations between the franchise and the Knicks. Fast-forward months now, and he'll be paying close attention to not only how the Bucks perform to start the season but also to the landscape of the rest of the league.

www.blaugranagram.com