Over the past few years, the New York Knicks have made countless moves to try to build a contender around star guard Jalen Brunson. While they once again find themselves tied to Milwaukee Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo in the market, one former champion thinks they should stay away from another massive shake-up.
But the NY Knicks Get Warned Against the Giannis Antetokounmpo Trade
As the trade deadline nears, teams are reshuffling for both now and later, but the spotlight is firmly on the Bucks. With reports saying they’re listening to offers for Antetokounmpo, league-wide anticipation is building. The Knicks previously explored a Giannis blockbuster with Milwaukee before the season, talks that fizzled out, but with circumstances shifting, New York’s interest appears to be heating up again.
However, there are some who warn the Knicks to hold tight… and not fall for this trade.
During Tuesday’s installment of ESPN’s First Take, Kendrick Perkins weighed in on the idea of the Knicks pushing all their chips in for Giannis. He feels they’re already built for a deep run and shouldn’t completely alter their roster this late in the year.
“If I’m the Knicks, I don’t try to go get Giannis. I don’t give a damn if he was healthy right now,” Perkins said. “For the simple fact that when you look at their roster, they have everything and more to go get it done to make it to the promise land in the Eastern Conference. They have the deepest team right now.”
Though Giannis is a top-five player in the league when healthy, Perkins brings up a strong point. The Knicks are fresh off their best season in 25 years and brought back the same core (though they did go through a coaching change).
With the Eastern Conference being weaker than usual this season, New York has a golden opportunity to finally break through and reach the finals.
Very rarely does a team make a deep playoff run after overhauling its roster at the trade deadline. With them being a favorite in the East at the moment, this is something the Knicks have to account for when debating going after Giannis in the next 48 hours.
If New York really wanted to get into the Giannis business, it would need to hope a trade doesn’t happen at the deadline and talks start back up in the offseason.
