Well, Shams is back with another Giannis report, this one his most detailed yet about Giannis exploring options outside of Milwaukee this offseason. Per Charania, Horst travelled to Greece in late July
to meet with the two-time MVP and one of his agents, Giorgos Panou, for the sides’ “most seminal and candid meeting of the summer.”
The meeting was intended to be an open forum where Giannis could discuss any frustrations he had about the past and how he viewed the moves made to reorient the team. Horst laid out his vision for this upcoming season—presumably a different one that he’d had in the past with Damian Lillard in the mix—and expressed his opinion that the roster he had assembled could compete for a championship in the Eastern Conference.
According to Shams, while Horst was confident, Antetokounmpo wasn’t all the way there. Giannis had doubts about whether the team that Horst had assembled was truly championship-calibre and, crucially, “wanted to explore whether there would be an alternative path forward for both the team and player.”
Alex Saratsis, Antetokounmpo’s US-based representative, had apparently fielded “rampant interest” since the NBA draft combine in May 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.”
According to the report, Milwaukee engaged in conversations with New York about Giannis for a brief period in August, but the teams never gained 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.”
For what it’s worth, Charania reports that New York believes the Bucks were never serious about entertaining an Antetokounmpo trade. In the end, Giannis decided to return to Milwaukee, with the Bucks signing Thanasis to a one-year deal just recently.
