The New York Knicks are expected to make some major changes to their roster following an Eastern Conference Finals exit in the 2025 NBA Playoffs.
Step one was completed with the firing of head coach Tom Thibodeau, but that’s just the beginning of what is expected to be a busy offseason for the Knicks.
The second step is reportedly targeting a superstar like Giannis Antetokounmpo. In any potential trade, the Knicks would be required to part ways with Karl-Anthony Towns to make that move become a reality.
Former NBA player Jermaine O’Neal recently made an appearance on the Nightcap podcast with Shannon Sharpe.
During the interview, O’Neal talked about the Knicks potentially trading Towns this summer. The ex-NBA center urged the Knicks to reconsider their decision.
“I don’t like them trading KAT. I get it, he doesn’t defend well, but he’s different from everything else that they have.
“If he really looked in the mirror and said every time I take my a__ to that box, I’m working right, every time he just works something, then he’d just go back out to the three-point line and stand on the three-point line,” O’Neal said.
He added: “If he really just gets to that dominant form, he could be everything that Knicks need, obviously adding a couple more pieces in there.”
As O’Neal stated, if Towns can improve his defense, he could become an untouchable star for the Knicks. After all, he did average 24.4 points, 12.8 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game for the team.
Coming to Towns’ potential replacement in Antetokounmpo, the Milwaukee Bucks superstar is a phenomenal player.
He has a plethora of accolades to his name, including leading the Bucks to the 2021 NBA Championship. Despite that amazing resume, O’Neal urged the Knicks to avoid trading for the Greek Freak.
“I like KAT with the Knicks, I don’t like Giannis with the Knicks. I like KAT, I like him. Do we think Giannis and Brunson can play together? They both like the ball a lot,” O’Neal stated.
On most nights, Jalen Brunson was the Knicks’ No. 1 scoring option throughout the 2024-25 season. However, Brunson requires the ball in his hands to make things happen for the team.
O’Neal feels Antetokounmpo also has a similar playing style to Brunson and it wouldn’t make sense to have them pair together on the Knicks.
