The Milwaukee Bucks have spent the last handful of years building their team around superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo. He has delivered by bringing a championship to the city for the first time since 1971, and showed his loyalty by re-signing with the small market franchise through the end of 2026.
NBA: Lakers, Knicks Will Have Interest In Antetokounmpo
The Lakers and Knicks are potential landing spots for Giannis Antetokounmpo if he leaves Milwaukee
“The Lakers and the Knicks are already being mentioned as franchises presumed to interest Antetokounmpo down the road if he does decide to move on from Milwaukee, which just made… pic.twitter.com/EPZ8UsNLwd
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) August 28, 2023
But there could be some potential cracks in the foundation. There have been rumors that Antetokounmpo would eventually like to play elsewhere during his career, despite how invested he’s been in elevating the Bucks over the last decade. There was also a change in ownership of the franchise recently, which has the potential to cause differences of opinions at some point down the road.
Speculation has already begun as to which team Giannis will play for next. And according to NBA reporter Marc Stein, two of the marquee franchises in the league will be worth keeping an eye on.
It may be true interest, or it might just be the Lakers and Knicks getting named dropped in every situation involving a high-profile player. The two are among the most historic franchises in the NBA, and have their name brought up nearly every time that a star player considers switching teams.
But Stein had the following to say:
The Lakers and the Knicks are already being mentioned as franchises presumed to interest Antetokounmpo down the road if he does decide to move on from Milwaukee, which just made a slew of moves (re-signing Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez and replacing Mike Budenholzer as coach with Adrian Griffin) to try to appease its face of the franchise
How Giannis Fits With The Timeline Of The Teams
Giannis Antetokounmpo says he’s not signing an extension in Milwaukee next summer if everyone isn’t on the same page
“I would not be the best version of myself if I don’t know that everybody’s on the same page, everybody’s going for a championship, everybody’s going to… pic.twitter.com/M2GB601JJ1
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) August 24, 2023
Antetokounmpo’s timeline would match up well with that of the Lakers. Both Anthony Davis and LeBron James are scheduled to be off of the books by the time Giannis hits free agency, and he could be the next one to carry the torch for the storied team.
The Knicks are currently scheduled to have two high-priced contracts come off of the books the same summer that Antetokounmpo becomes a free agent, but they already owe RJ Barrett nearly $30 million for the 2026-27 season.
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