This could hurt. A lot.
According to NBA insider Jake Fischer, there seems to be a belief around the league that before the Milwaukee Bucks come to a decision on a Giannis Antetokounmpo trade to the Miami Heat (or another suitor, for that matter), that they will swing back around to the New York Knicks to ensure they don't have any interest in breaking up their team for the superstar forward.
“I’ve had multiple people tell me today that if MIL really was getting to the finish line of a Giannis trade to Miami or anywhere else, that they’re calling New York back and saying ‘are you sure you don’t want to put Karl Anthony Towns in a trade for Giannis?”
It should be noted that this sentiment isn't shared by everyone across the league, including ESPN's Shams Charania, who doesn't believe the Knicks will be involved in a Giannis pursuit. But even the mere chance of this happening is absolutely nerve-racking for Miami.
If that ends up being the reason why the Heat misses out on Giannis, it would be an absolutely gutting way for them to go out. And their pursuit of Giannis would be remembered as just the next example of the Heat missing out on a star player again.
The Knicks could play spoiler for the Heat's pursuit of Giannis
It may be difficult to envision now, but there is a path toward the Knicks playing the role of spoiler in the Heat's pursuit of Giannis. From everything that has been reported up to now, there's a sense that the Heat are the favorites to land the superstar forward (if he's traded).
However, if the Knicks end up losing in the NBA Finals to the San Antonio Spurs, there's reason to believe that the feeling around Giannis could change quickly.
After all, it wasn't too long ago when the Knicks were considered the overwhelming favorites to land Giannis. Mostly because he was the only place he wanted to be traded to.
Sure, things have certainly changed over the last few months. But, the question is, how much?
Because if that overwhelming desire to play in New York is still there for Giannis, there's at least a chance that the Knicks can truly flip things upside down for the Heat.
Considering how much the Heat's front office (and fan base) has invested in their pursuit of Giannis, things could get very dark over these next few weeks.
The Heat may be close, but there's still time for a disastrous ending for Miami. And at least one scenario involves the Knicks entering the last minute to mess everything up. If that were to happen, it'd be one of the worst ways for this to all end.
Add us as a preferred source on Google