With Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks likely headed for divorce this summer, the spotlight is back on the New York Knicks . They were reportedly Giannis' first choice when he wanted out and the Bucks discussed a potential deal involving Antetokounmpo last summer.
But while adding Giannis sounds good, especially for a New York team that's already considered a title contender without him, former Knicks point guard Stephon Marbury says it's not going to be as easy as plug-and-play.
"It depends on who's leaving and what decisions are going to be made based upon what we need," said Marbury. "If we win the championship this year, nothing is happening. If we don't win the championship, as a person looking at it, obviously, there will probably be changes."
"And if you add a guy like the "Freak", you know what exactly you're going to get on both ends of the court. You know what energy you're going to get. You know what style you're going to get. So you have to make sure to put pieces around that," he added.
Since the Knicks don't have draft picks to dangle — thanks or no thanks to the Mikal Bridges trade — they will have to give up significant assets to acquire Antetokounmpo in a trade with the Bucks. Right now, if these two teams are going to revisit their failed talks, it's unclear who the Bucks are willing to take from the Knicks.
Most likely, any deal would have to include Karl-Anthony Towns , since Milwaukee would want superstar value back. Aside from KAT, the Knicks would also have to give up a couple more rotation players.
But not only would the Knicks lose three to four, or even more, players from their current team, but they would also have to adjust to having a second heavy-usage star on board.
"You have to realize that Jalen is a ball-dominant player, and so if the "Freak", Starbury explained. "So now you got to get two guys to blend and mix, right? In which that is going to take some chemistry, you know, tug of war. So you got two superstars that are amazing, but two superstars that command the basketball coast to coast."
However, given how good the two-time MVP is, many think he will not have any trouble adjusting to the Knicks' style of play. Marbury agrees, but he still thinks it will take some time for the new pieces to fit together and start humming.
"A lot of people say he's a hooper. He can play. So you can put him in any situation. I believe the same thing. But that's going to take some time for them to get used to each other in order to win the championship. So now we've got to grow through this process again, of learning the curve of guys playing together. So you got to think about all that stuff," he added.
With how horribly the current postseason has started for the Knicks, it won't be a surprise if they don't try to trade for Giannis this summer. But as Marbury warned, it's not going to be smooth-sailing. And it could be like starting over again,
Related: Giannis Antetokounmpo regrets not squashing trade rumors immediately: "This ends today"
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Apr 27, 2026, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
