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Giannis Antetokoumpo-involved trade would be horrible for Golden State Warriors

By Nathan Beighle

MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - MARCH 04: Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks waits for a free throw during a game against the Indiana Pacers at Fiserv Forum on March 04, 2020 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - MARCH 04: Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks waits for a free throw during a game against the Indiana Pacers at Fiserv Forum on March 04, 2020 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) /
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The Golden State Warriors have been linked to Giannis Antetokounmpo before, but this it wouldn’t be them adding the two-time MVP this time.

Coming off a 15-win season, the Golden State Warriors will look to return to title contention next season.

After a tough year, given both their on-court struggles and then their missing of the Orlando restart, Golden State will finally be healthy and ready to compete. That said, there were a few silver linings to an otherwise wasted season.

One was that the team tanking gave them the top odds for the No. 1 overall pick. While they had the top odds, the ping pong balls didn’t fall entirely in their favor as the Warriors will have the No. 2 overall pick in the late-November NBA Draft.

Many experts and fans expect them to trade the pick. Given that all of their starts are on the back half of their primes, it makes sense that Golden State would go all in on a search for their third superstar-caliber player.

While some assume they could go after two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, a recently-suggested trade has them talked about in the same deal as Giannis but not the team actually bringing him in.

Here’s the trade Bleacher Report’s Preston Ellis laid out in his article that looked at trade ideas to create the next NBA superteam.

"Miami Gets: Giannis AntetokounmpoMilwaukee Gets: Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro, Kelly Olynyk, Andrew Wiggins, 2020 No. 2 pick from GSW, 2021 first-round pick from GSW (via MIN)Golden State Gets: Khris Middleton, KZ Okpala"

It’s tough to see why Golden State would do this to be honest.

KZ Okpala is barely worth adding in there. That said, the crux of this deal for Golden State is two high-value first-round picks and Andrew Wiggins for Milwaukee’s Khris Middleton, a player that struggled heavily during the 2020 playoffs.

It’s just not going to fly. This should never be even a suggested trade that Golden State would look into. It’s just not worth it. Middleton is good, but the difference between Wiggins and Middleton is nowhere near two first-round picks.

Middleton averaged 15 points per game on 36 percent shooting in the Bucks’ opening playoff series. He was marginally better against the Miami Heat, but his team was sent home after five games.

Next. Top 30 Golden State Warriors players in franchise history. dark

A two-time All-Star, Middleton is a good player, but if the Warriors trade their two first-round picks, it better be for a Giannis-caliber return.

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