Antetokounmpo wants to go to the Knicks heart, starting from Doncic being secretly traded to the Lakers

In February 2025, when Doncic was secretly traded to the Lakers, when Antetokounmpo saw this news, he was not only shocked, but also had an intriguing statement: "Doncic joins the Lakers, and I also hope that Jokic joins the Knicks. I hope that all European players can go to major market teams to develop."

Have you noticed? Antetokounmpo mentioned all European players, and between the lines, it seems that he also implies himself.

Since then, Antetokounmpo has begun to want to leave the Bucks.

When Lillard tore his Achilles tendon and the Bucks missed the first round of the playoffs for the third consecutive year, Antetokounmpo became the second player in NBA history to average 30+ per game for three consecutive seasons and miss the first round. This was enough to make Antetokounmpo's mentality a bit broken.

This summer, ESPN reporter Shams has been tracking the future planning negotiations between Antetokounmpo and the Bucks. Here are two pieces of news that are true: Antetokounmpo is concerned about playing for a team that is competitive to win the championship, and either the Bucks will strengthen their recruitment or go to the Knicks.

In the end, the Bucks only got one decent signing, Myles Turner, a young version of Lopez, which did not substantially improve the Bucks' strength.

At the same time, the negotiations between the Bucks and the Knicks also failed, because the Knicks only had one high-quality future asset in the first round, and there was no way to impress the Bucks.

Now that the preseason has started and Antetokounmpo is still with the Bucks, has he decided to stay?

This is not the case. According to the latest news from Shams, Antetokounmpo is still waiting to watch the first 20 games of the 2025-26 season. If the game winning rate does not give him hope of winning the championship, he may publicly apply for a trade.

Peter thinks, doesn’t this mean that Antetokounmpo is leaving? It's just a matter of time.

As far as the current lineup of the Bucks is concerned, except for the twin towers of Antetokounmpo and Turner, there are no outstanding players. This Bucks is no different from last season, or even weaker.

Therefore, Antetokounmpo may change hands in the middle of the season. If the Knicks can get him, the Bucks may lock in the No. 1 pick next year or the year after. After all, the league encourages stars like Antetokounmpo to go to big markets, especially top clubs like the Knicks.