The Golden State Warriors have long desired the chance to partner Giannis Antetokounmpo with Stephen Curry, and the opportunity may have finally arrived.
If the Dubs want to execute the deal, however, the price is going to be steep: more or less the entirety of the franchise’s post-Curry future, both in terms of young players and draft picks. It may also mean the departure of Draymond Green to the Western Conference rival Los Angeles Lakers just one year after the exit of Klay Thompson to the Dallas Mavericks.
Zach Kram of ESPN authored a four-team trade proposal on Wednesday, June 18, laying out how the pieces would move between the Warriors, Lakers, Mavericks and Milwaukee Bucks.
Draymond Green Would Prove Warriors’ Biggest Casualty of 4-Team Trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo
GettyDraymond Green of the Golden State Warriors.
All told, Golden State would sacrifice Brandin Podziemski, Trayce Jackson-Davis, Jonathan Kuminga via a sign-and-trade and two first-round picks (2029, 2031), all of which would go to Milwaukee. The Warriors would also send Green to L.A. and a 2025 second-round pick to Dallas.
The sole asset the Dubs would get back in return is Antetokounmpo.
Los Angeles would land Green and Mavericks center Daniel Gafford, improving the Lakers overall by adding a former NBA Defensive Player of the Year in Green plus a rim-protecting, rim-running/lob threat in Gafford to pair alongside Luka Doncic — likely for years to come. The two were teammates in Dallas last season.
The Lakers would flip Austin Reaves, Maxi Kleber and a pick swap in 2030 to Milwaukee, while sending Gabe Vincent and a first-round pick in 2031 to Dallas.
Golden State, meanwhile, would start the 2025-26 campaign with a star trio comprised of Curry, Antetokounmpo and Jimmy Butler.
Warriors Could Center Trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo Around Jimmy Butler or Draymond Green
Getty Jimmy Butler of the Golden State Warriors.
Golden State has four tradable first-round picks this summer, plus multiple second-rounders and some swaps.
Thus, the Dubs would incur a substantial hit to their upcoming draft capital, though wouldn’t drain all of it and would have some chips to either improve a thin roster around the new Big 3 or hold onto some picks for the post-Curry era, which may well include an aging — but still star-level — Antetokounmpo.
Kuminga and Golden State are fairly likely to split this summer anyway, so utilizing him as a meaningful asset in a deal for a superstar like Antetokounmpo is more of a win than anything else. But the Warriors would still be taking a big hit to their depth in 2025-26 and 2026-27 — the remaining Curry window based on his age (37) and the two years remaining on his current contract.
Golden State could try to flip Butler as part of a larger package of assets to Milwaukee for Antetokounmpo and keep Green, whose loss might prove the biggest immediate hit over the next season or two. However, Kram’s proposal is a bigger move with potentially bigger upside for the Dubs’ title chances.
“The Warriors are almost always in the mix for stars, and after trading for Jimmy Butler III in February, they could take an even bigger swing this summer to maximize the remainder of Stephen Curry’s extended prime,” Kram wrote on June 18. “If Antetokounmpo requests a trade to Golden State, the Warriors could simply reroute Butler, whose salary is a perfect match. But the Warriors could also build a matching package around Green. The Warriors would sacrifice depth to construct a star-studded big three of Curry, Antetokounmpo and Butler.”
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