Four days. That’s how much time there’s left before the NBA trade deadline, and as the clock ticks, Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo’s future in Wisconsin becomes more and more uncertain. While he’s been linked with several teams, nothing has materialized yet. As if that wasn’t concerning enough, now the Knicks’ hopes of landing the Greek Freak have also been slashed.

New York has seemingly been the two-time MVP’s preferred destination for the longest time. In fact, there have been previous reports of the organization plotting a massive coup to land Giannis Antetokounmpo. However, all of that might be for nothing after all, as The Athletic’s James L. Edwards III believes the Knicks might not have enough assets to land Giannis.

“The Bucks are looking for a premier young player(s) and multiple, good draft picks in exchange for one of the three best players in the NBA,” Edwards III wrote. “The Knicks have neither of those, and to get close to what the Bucks are asking for, New York would need to trade two or three players in its starting lineup, most likely OG Anunoby, Bridges, and/or Towns.”

“The latter two, per multiple league sources, aren’t believed to have the same value today as when the Knicks traded for them, so that could be a hurdle in itself. It’s unclear if the Knicks and Dolan are willing to give up their hopes of making the finals this season in order to acquire Antetokounmpo sooner rather than later.”

the Knicks don’t have much wiggle room to execute a blockbuster trade at the moment. The historic franchise is currently operating in the first apron with a second apron hard cap that cannot be removed. This hard cap was automatically triggered when New York used their mid-level exception to sign Guerschon Yabusele.

This means they cannot take more salary than they can give out. However, what makes things even more difficult in their pursuit of Giannis is the fact that the New York Knicks don’t have an available first-round pick to trade for. Their 2027, 2029, and 2031 first-rounders all belong to the Brooklyn Nets.

So, the only remaining path for them seems to be sending out at least two of their starters. However, even then, it would be hard for them to compete against other teams, who have both a premier young player and draft capital, a combination the Bucks prefer. All in all, the organization’s hopes of landing Giannis Antetokounmpo before February 5 seem grim, as other teams catch on.

Portland joins the rest of the teams for the Giannis Antetokounmpo sweepstakes

Over the past few months, Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo has been linked with the likes of the Warriors, Lakers, Knicks, Spurs, and even the Heat. However, now with just a few days remaining before the trade deadline, a new team has joined the race to land the 31-year-old forward, and it’s a team that controls Milwaukee’s future.

That team is the Portland Trail Blazers, who currently control the Bucks’ first-round picks from 2028 to 2030. The historic franchise has now joined other teams in showing real interest in landing the two-time MVP from the Milwaukee Bucks, according to the Stein Line.

“Portland has also expressed its own interest to the Bucks that it would like to acquire Antetokounmpo… even as the Blazers realistically understand that it would be an extreme long shot to convince Giannis to sign a contract extension that keeps him in the Pacific Northwest,” the Stein Line reported.

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Well, the Trail Blazers check the key boxes, as they have talented young players as well as draft capital. However, arguably the biggest hurdle in their way would be that they are a long way from emerging as title contenders, something that’ll likely play a huge part in Antetokounmpo’s next team.

Either way, if this deal somehow goes through, it would give the Bucks the power to take control of their future and reset their roster. Whether a deal materializes remains to be seen as the trade deadline closes in.