Knicks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo trade talks a warning to core players

We learned a few things Tuesday, 15 days ahead of the kickoff to the NBA’s regular season. We discovered, for starters, that the Bucks and the Knicks had a few conversations in the summer regarding the future of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee’s basketball unicorn and a two-time MVP, a story reported by ESPN and confirmed by The Post.

We now know that the talks were of the getting-to-know-you nature, and that there was not an actual structure for a deal put in place — yet. And we are aware that things cooled quickly enough that after a one-day summit between Antetokounmpo and Bucks GM Jon Horst in Greece, the Bucks and their star agreed to stay together in pursuit of an NBA championship to bookend the one they won together in 2021. It went no further.

Yet.

This was the biggest takeaway from Tuesday’s revelation, and the one that’s more relevant to New York: It is clear that if the time comes when Antetokounmpo chooses to do what so many of his superstar colleagues have done when they’ve grown weary of title pursuits in their own backyard, he has a clear preference for a destination.