3 teams who should be prepping trade offers for Giannis Antetokounmpo

1. New York Knicks should prep trade offer for Giannis Antetokounmpo

The New York Knicks have deliberately saved up their trade assets for the "right" star. Popular theorizing ties Joel Embiid to the Knicks, but one has to believe Giannis would take immediate priority if he ever asks out of Milwaukee.

This is more in line with the course of NBA history. A superstar decides to leave his small market in search of a better chance to compete and ends up in a marquee destination like New York. It has been a long time since the Knicks won anything of note, but it's not hard to see the appeal from Giannis' perspective. Jalen Brunson won everybody over in the playoffs and New York isn't short on complementary talent. Plus, it's Madison Square Garden. It's NYC. Giannis is concerned with his brand. It happens.

Tom Thibodeau could be the worst and best thing to happen to Giannis' career. The minutes would go through the roof, but they're wired the same way. Antetokounmpo can take tough love and he's a relentless hustler on defense. Thibs would fall head over heels.

On the offensive end, there's plenty of upside to be mined from the Antetokounmpo-Brunson duo. Giannis gives the Knicks built-in rim pressure. He will collapse the defense and draw double teams on every touch. Brunson isn't the highest-volume shooter beyond the arc, but he's very efficient (41.6 percent on 4.7 attempts). Off the dribble, Brunson is a master manipulator. He's shifty and deliberate, taking his time and often weaponizing his unique strength to carve out space for pull-up jumpers or drives to the cup. There'd be an interesting — and potentially very fruitful — clash in pace between Brunson's patient ball-handling and Giannis' breakneck forays down the lane.

The rest of the fit here is less clean. There's really no way Julius Randle survives a Giannis trade. The R.J. Barrett project immediately takes a back seat — or is eliminated entirely, given his struggles from 3-point range. The Knicks would ideally be able to move both to match Giannis' salary (with a mountain of draft capital) while keeping quality role players like Josh Hart, Immanuel Quickley, and Quentin Grimes on the roster. That's easier said than done, though. Giannis is going to fetch a hefty price.