The New York Knicks are not serious contenders to land Giannis Antetokounmpo – not unless the Milwaukee Bucks are purely focused on catering to Giannis’ wishes or a third team gets involved. That’s the only way the Bucks would get enough assets back, in the form of draft picks or, maybe more importantly, young talent. The Knicks simply don’t have the resources to get a deal done by themselves.
For argument’s sake, assume the second scenario plays out. In that case, the obvious basis of any Bucks’ return package would center around Knicks big man Karl Anthony-Towns. While possessed of different skillsets, Towns and Giannis are rough positional and salary matches. Throw in additional assets, mix-and-match add-on salaries, and maybe you have a deal.
Obviously, turning Giannis into Towns doesn’t do much to help the Bucks. Towns is a defensive liability and not nearly the same facilitator. But Hall of Famer Paul Pierce doesn’t see a Towns-for-Giannis template as best serving the Knicks’ interests, either. It’s another piquant take from Pierce, to say the least.
Pierce proposal is unappealing to both sides
Instead of shipping out Towns, Pierce believes New York would be smarter to sacrifice star guard Jalen Brunson. Both Giannis and Brunson are ball-dependent players, so, from that angle, the pivot makes sense.
Pierce also just likes the idea of a dominant big-man duo. “I like him more with KAT than Brunson. You got two physical, one inside, one inside-outside. I don’t need a scoring guard with them two.”
It’s a nice idea in theory, but not one likely to be put into practice – for a variety of reasons. Pierce’s former Celtics teammate and fellow Hall of Famer Kevin Garnett tried to talk some sense into him. Who would stop a pick and roll combo featuring Giannis and Brunson?
To Pierce’s point, pairing Giannis with a stretch big is a formula that works. It won the Bucks a title with Brook Lopez at center. The glaring difference is that prime Lopez was an elite interior defender. Towns isn’t an elite defender anywhere on the floor. Especially as Giannis ages, it would help him to delegate more defensive responsibility to his center. Unfortunately, it’s hard to argue that his health is not deteriorating. He has a lot of miles on his wheels in year 13. Today, December 6, is his 31st birthday.
Knicks fans don’t want to give up Brunson. He is the engine of the offense and the face of the franchise. Bucks fans don’t want to trade Giannis at all, and getting Towns as the centerpiece of a return would only throw salt in the wound. The ironically good news for both sides is that Pierce’s trade isn’t going to happen. There is probably less than a 5% chance the Knicks would give up Brunson in any deal on the planet. The Bucks may or may not trade Giannis. And if they know what’s best for the future of their franchise, he won’t be going to New York at all.
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