Knicks Miss Out on Familiar Obi Toppin Replacement
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There's been a good amount of talk about the New York Knicks adding one MVP in Joel Embiid, it was easy to forget that Antetokounmpo was there for the taking.
MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo's brother Thanasis, that is.
In reporting Thanasis' return to the Milwaukee Bucks, Shams Charania mentioned that the older brother of the two-time MVP attracted attention from the Knicks, which would've presented a homecoming for the 31-year-old: Thanasis' NBA debut came with the Knicks, as he suited up for two games with the NBA club during the 2015-16 season.
The elder Antetokounmpo was originally chosen by the Knicks with the 51st overall pick of the 2014 draft. He later starred for the Knicks' G League (then D-League) team in Westchester, notably earning All-Defensive Second Team honors in 2015. Thanasis then embarked upon a professional career in Greece before joining his brother in Milwaukee in 2019. The two would lift the Larry O'Brien Trophy together in 2021, topping the Phoenix Suns in six games.
Though Thanasis' impact is far from matching his brother's, he has still been a reliable bench prescience for the Bucks, having sank over 50 percent of his attempts from the field in five NBA seasons. With Charania confirming the Knicks' interest, it's entirely possible that the team could've viewed the 6-7 native of Athens as a successor to Obi Toppin in the backup power forward slot.
Toppin, the eighth overall pick of the 2020 draft, was traded to the Indiana Pacers earlier this summer after struggling to find a consistent role in the New York rotation. With Toppin gone, the role of the Knicks' Julius Randle understudy is in relative limbo, the top options perhaps behind traditional center Jericho Sims or new Knicks and career journeyman Isaiah Roby. Either way, it won't be Thanasis, who is back for a fifth season with the Bucks.
The Knicks likely won't have to wait long to see Antetokounmpo even though he rejected their apparent offer: New York and Milwaukee are situated in the same group in the inaugural NBA In-Season Tournament pool play, alongside Charlotte, Miami, and Washington.
Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags
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