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Grade the Trade: Golden State Warriors land Giannis Antetokounmpo in monster pitch

By Josh Cornelissen

MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - DECEMBER 13: Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks drives around Jonathan Kuminga #00 of the Golden State Warriors during a game at Fiserv Forum on December 13, 2022 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The Bucks defeated the Warriors 128-111. 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 - DECEMBER 13: Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks drives around Jonathan Kuminga #00 of the Golden State Warriors during a game at Fiserv Forum on December 13, 2022 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The Bucks defeated the Warriors 128-111. 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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Golden State Warriors
Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks and Kevon Looney, Golden State Warriors. Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images /

Would the Warriors say yes?

The sheer volume that the Warriors would be sending to the Milwaukee Bucks is staggering. They would be moving three recent first-round picks (Nos. 7, 14 and 19 in their respective drafts), their starting small forward, a key bench player and complete control of six-straight drafts to the Bucks.

The team they would have after this deal would be fairly thin, but the star power at the top would be powerful. Antetokounmpo is still in his prime and a perennial top-5 MVP finisher, and he has never played off of a shooter like Stephen Curry (or even Klay Thompson for that matter). The defensive pairing of Antetokounmpo and Draymond Green is staggering to consider.

The Warriors would need to follow the Phoenix Suns blueprint next summer, nailing their minimum signings to build around a small but powerful core. The timetable for this group would likewise be short, given the age of the Warriors’ current guys, but adding Antetokounmpo would almost certainly extend it. Without any draft capital to attach to him, they may be inclined to keep Chris Paul, re-sign Klay Thompson and just resign themselves to paying the piper for a couple of seasons to go after another title.

It would be much better to include Chris Paul instead of Wiggins, but at that point the Bucks likely don’t give this the green light. Keeping back a swap gives them some small ammunition to upgrade via trade, but it may take everything to get this deal done. It’s not often that you get an MVP candidate via trade, however, so if it takes everything they have it is still worth it. The Warriors would be establishing a cliff after this core ages out, but the time to maximize is right now, anyway.

This is an expensive deal, and it puts real pressure on Mike Dunleavy Jr. and the front office to fill out the roster without many resources. It is also a deal the Warriors would absolutely have to make.

Next. Ranking the 16 worst Warriors starters of the Stephen Curry era. dark

Grade: A

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