The Giannis Antetokounmpo era for the Milwaukee Bucks appears to be close to an end. According to recent reports, the Greek forward is now officially deciding if staying with the team he helped win the 2021 Finals is the right move for his career.
Since then, trade rumors have run rampant, and though he remains a top asset around the league and still in his prime, the idea of making a move for Antetokounmpo remains unlikely for some teams on the bubble of title contention.
However, one team stands out above the rest: the Golden State Warriors. The fanbase has been interested in adding Antetokounmpo ever since his highlight play with Stephen Curry in an All-Star game a few years ago. But adding the former Finals MVP would be an easy task, and a trade for the star would likely mean a separation between one of the most successful duos in NBA history.
Giannis Trade Pitch To Warriors
Writing for ESPN, Zach Kram proposed a blockbuster deal that would send Antetokounmpo to the Warriors, a move that would shake up the title race this season, as well as the next few years in the league.
Here’s what he proposed:
Golden State Warriors get: Giannis Antetokounmpo and Thanasis Antetokounmpo
Bucks get: Draymond Green, Jonathan Kuminga, Buddy Hield, 2026 first-round pick, 2028 first-round pick, 2030 first-round pick (if 1 through 20), 2032 first-round pick
While Antetokounmpo would be the most notable piece moved in this deal, it would also break up the legendary duo of Curry and Green. Though Klay Thompson rounded out the trio that won four titles together from 2015 to 2022, the shooter and hard-nosed defender have been staples for Golden State over the past decade-plus.
“This would be a Hail Mary trade for both teams,” Kram wrote.
Additionally, this deal would help the Warriors fix their Kuminga situation, as, despite his strong start to the year, he was recently out with an injury, and many insiders believe his deteriorating relationship with the franchise means he could be on the move in the next few weeks.
Why The Bucks Do This Deal
On the surface, the Bucks could make a deal like this for two reasons.
One, because they would seemingly want the best for their star player. After years of trying to regain the magic from their 2021 title run, they haven’t come close. Antetokounmpo has put in the effort, and will end his time in Milwaukee as one of, if not the, greatest player in franchise history, and sending him to a winning situation would all but guarantee the two sides don’t end on bad terms.
Also, the Bucks would get back Green, Kuminga, and some major draft assets. It’s hard to say if the former would stay on a team that would likely go young, but Green remains a formidable and valuable player. But with A.J. Green, Ryan Rollins, and other burgeoning young talent, Kuminga could slide right in.
“Milwaukee could give Kuminga plenty of runway to see if he’s a long-term keeper, reroute Green, a proven winner and still elite defender, to a contender and extract the maximal pick package from Golden State, hoping that some of those outlying picks could be extremely lucrative once Stephen Curry retires,” Kram added.
Why Golden State Does This Trade
Though a trade like this would break up one of the best duos in NBA history, it would potentially create an even better one, with Curry and Antetokounmpo together. Golden State has made it clear they want to maximize the time they have left with the three-point shooter, and adding a future Hall of Fame player might be their best chance at winning an elusive fifth title.
“For the Warriors, a blockbuster trade would represent an attempt to break out of the funk that has plagued them this season,” Kram wrote for Golden State’s perspective. “Adding Antetokounmpo would be a supercharged version of last season’s trade for Jimmy Butler III and create a championship-caliber core, potentially with enough depth behind that star trio to scare the Thunder and the West’s best teams.”
The Warriors have nearly all of their draft picks over the next few years, and any deal for the Greek star would likely involve sending nearly all of them back to the Bucks. It would be an all-in move, but teams have made similar trades and gotten much less in return (cough, cough, Los Angeles Clippers).
Golden State appears ready to at least make a trade for Kuminga, so the possibility of sending out Green and other assets to win one more championship can’t be ruled out. A deal like this would all but certainly need Curry’s approval, so it would come down to whether he wants to end on bad terms with Green to add Antetokounmpo, or ride out his career with what the Warriors have now, barring a potential Kuminga swap for another, similarly-paid player.
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