Giannis Antetokounmpo's future and a potential trade is once again in the media spotlight, but one team still holds a distinct advantage over the Golden State Warriors and others who could be in pursuit of the Milwaukee Bucks superstar.
Antetokounmpo's interest in playing for the New York Knicks continues to grow louder, giving the Warriors an obvious team to root for in the playoffs should they hope to trade for the 2x MVP.
Warriors should root for Knicks if they want to land Giannis trade
After discussions between the Bucks and Knicks on an Antetokounmpo trade last offseason, NBA insider Jake Fischer reiterated the 31-year-old's interest in bringing a championship to Madison Square Garden during a report for The Stein Line on Thursday.
..."His curiosity about playing in New York for the Knicks (as we've reported previously) is indeed a thing. In the enclosed piece from December, I wrote extensively about how much the idea of helping the Knicks finally raise another banner at Madison Square Garden is believed to have resonated with Antetokounmpo," Fischer wrote.
New York seemingly still has a jump on the rest of the league because they're the one concrete destination we know Antetokounmpo has interest in, something that becomes all the more important as he prepares to enter the final guaranteed year of his contract.
Therefore if the Warriors (and others) want to eliminate the Knicks from the Antetokounmpo discussions, they should be hoping that this current version of the team can complete the long-awaited dream of a title in the next six weeks.
Antetokounmpo is smart and understands his legacy and stature in NBA history. If the Knicks won a championship this season, his desire of bringing a title to The Garden suddenly disappears, and the media/fan backlash to joining the reigning champions would make a trade practically impossible.
Knicks are favorites to come out of the East
It's not as if this Knicks team are some massive outside chance either. With a 2-0 lead over the Philadelphia 76ers in their second-round series, New York are the favorites to come out of the Eastern Conference and reach the NBA Finals.
Sure, the Knicks would be underdogs against a team like the Oklahoma City Thunder or even the San Antonio Spurs, but who knows what can happen in the Finals where injuries and other factors may come into play.
Many members of the Warriors organization might already be rooting for the Knicks given their ties to head coach Mike Brown, but Antetokounmpo's continued interest in heading to New York gives Golden State another reason to hope the Larry O'Brien Trophy lands in The Big Apple this season.
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