LeBron James or Giannis Antetokounmpo might have joined the New York Knicks this summer if the 2026 NBA Finals hadn’t ended the way they did.
The Knicks have returned to the NBA’s mountaintop after an arduous 53-year journey, where the franchise went from being called one of the worst in the NBA to now proving they’re the best.
If the 2025-26 season didn’t end in New York’s favor, the summer of 2026 might have seen them make major additions to take the final step towards a championship.
LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo wanted to save the Knicks
Sam Quinn pointed out that both James and Antetokounmpo had to settle for their No. 2 choices, with LeBron heading to the 76ers and Giannis heading to the Heat.
“The two most famous players that moved this offseason, LeBron and Giannis, both wanted to be Knicks and are now playing for their backup teams because the Knicks won the title.”
James’ interest in joining the Knicks was basically confirmed by his agent, Rich Paul, who said that LeBron’s 24 days of decision-making likely never would’ve happened if the Knicks weren’t champions and wanted James to join the franchise.
LeBron is expected to live in New York during his time with the 76ers and travel to the team’s training facility in Camden, New Jersey, and to games in downtown Philadelphia.
Giannis was rumored to be the Knicks’ primary trade target since last offseason, with the rumors of a Karl-Anthony Towns for Antetokounmpo swap even creating internal tensions in the locker room.
However, all those talks were definitively ended after Towns played a crucial role in ensuring the Knicks finally became champions.
Instead of trying to fix something that’s clearly not broken, the Knicks’ decision to trust their core paid off, and now James and Antetokounmpo will be looking to steal New York’s crown on their new Eastern Conference teams.
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