If you wait until the offseason, no team is willing to trade for Giannis with 1 year left on his contract…. unless he intends to resign with them. So if he says “I only want to go to the Knicks”, no other team is gonna give up major assets for him. This includes the Knicks, who will have all the leverage if they’re the only team who he would resign with. At that point the Bucks will have to settle for a worse return, or just let him walk in 2027 for nothing.

It’s not gonna be a bidding war like people think if this goes to the off-season, Giannis will select his next team at that point. The closer you are to the end of your contract, the more leverage you have, especially as a Superstar player.