Two months after reaching their first Eastern Conference finals in 25 years, the New York Knicks were looking to add another superstar to their roster. Malcolm Brogdon, Jordan Clarkson, and Guerschon Yabusele were some of the new faces they added to the roster, and they also made Mike Brown their head coach.

However, there was one player the front office couldn’t bring in: Giannis Antetokounmpo. On Tuesday, NBA insider Shama Charania reported that the Knicks were involved in trade negotiations with the Milwaukee Bucks to acquire the nine-time All-Star. Frustration had been growing between Antetokounmpo and his current team because he couldn’t lead them past the first round of the playoffs in three consecutive seasons.

The Knicks were the only other franchise the 2021 NBA champion and Finals MVP wanted to join. The reason Antetokounmpo wanted to go to New York is unclear. Ultimately, neither side was able to agree because the Bucks thought the Knicks needed to make a stronger offer. Charania noted that, financially, New York is in a challenging position because it re-signed Mikal Bridges to a four-year, $150 million contract extension, making him ineligible to trade until February.

After all of this, I think it’s better that the Knicks didn’t trade for Antetokounmpo for now. Don’t get me wrong; I would’ve loved to see one of the league's best players play in New York, but I believe the Knicks need to prioritize developing good chemistry, and adding another superstar could ruin that.

Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, Josh Hart, OG Anunoby, and Bridges have become a very talented core of players who work well with each other despite struggling defensively. However, I don’t think getting rid of one or more of those players would’ve helped them. Instead, it may worsen the Knicks' chances of competing for a championship.

On the flip side, adding Antetokounmpo can give them the talent they need to reach the finals, but it will likely come at the cost of trading away Bridges and Towns. If the Knicks are willing to make the trade, I’m not too sure if I’d be all in because there is always next summer, especially if frustration continues to develop between Antetokounmpo and the Bucks.

In that scenario, I believe the Knicks should capitalize on the opportunity to add another superstar. However, to get to that point, there is an entire season of NBA basketball in which both franchises look like they have a shot at being the Eastern Conference’s best team.

The league ranked the Knicks as the second-best team in the conference, while the Bucks are sixth. Both teams play their respective season openers in two weeks on Oct. 22.