Speaking on ESPN Cleveland, NBA insider Brian Windhorst reported Wednesday that Giannis Antetokounmpo told the Milwaukee Bucks that he wants to play for the New York Knicks.
“The Bucks called the Knicks and asked for an offer for Giannis Antetokounmpo, because Giannis said, ‘I want to be a Knick.’ …. Guys, Giannis has asked to be traded already,” Windhorst said.
“It appears Giannis committed to himself for the season to the Bucks. But the Bucks are not good. This year, when Giannis hasn’t played, the Bucks are 1-5. When he has played, they’re 9-8. Would his viewpoint change? I don’t know.”
Over the summer, ESPN reported that if Antetokounmpo were to be traded, the Knicks would be his preference. The two sides did have brief discussions, but the Knicks believed the Bucks were not serious about making a deal, per Stefan Bondy of the New York Post.
Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bucks Talking Future
Windhorst’s comments came just hours before ESPN’s Shams Charania said, “Antetokounmpo and his agent Alex Saratsis are having conversations with the Milwaukee Bucks about the two-time NBA MVP’s future — and discussing whether his best fit is staying or a move elsewhere.”
During the offseason, sources told Charania that Antetokounmpo would “examine the Bucks’ first 25 or so games this season” to determine if they could compete with the rest of the top teams in the Eastern Conference.
The Bucks are currently 10-13 and have lost eight of their past 10 games. They rank 10th in the Eastern Conference standings and have gone 8-9 against conference opponents.
Despite the reports, Bucks coach Doc Rivers has downplayed the Antetokounmpo trade rumors.
“The reason that this is out is because we’re not playing well,” Rivers said. “When we started out the season, I heard guys saying, ‘Man, they’re going to be really good.’ So, let’s just call a spade a spade. We’re not playing well. We had a tough loss the other night, and so now this is the subject matter.
“It’s no more true than it was this summer. Does it affect our team and our players? I hope not. I can tell you, after listening to our guys talk today, it doesn’t. But that doesn’t mean it won’t. I can’t answer that.”
Antetokounmpo Suffers Calf Injury
These bombshell reports came hours before Antetokounmpo suffered what appeared to be a non-contact right calf strain about three minutes into the first quarter of Wednesday night’s game against the Detroit Pistons.
Speaking after Milwaukee’s win over Detroit, Rivers said that he believed the team had ruled out an Achilles injury for Antetokounmpo, according to Eric Nehm of The Athletic.
“I didn’t know what it was,” Rivers said. “I just wanted the trainers to attend to him.”
Antetokounmpo was able to leave the court on his feet, limping first to the bench and finally to the locker room. Rivers confirmed that Antetokounmpo underwent an MRI.
“I thought the bump, if you watch, the bump drive, that’s what threw him off balance,” Rivers said. “He got bumped then and then somebody landed on top of him… and then it looked like no one was around, but I thought it was the bump that threw him off balance.”
