Giannis Antetokounmpo has been the dream trade target for the Golden State Warriors for a number of years, and they may be closer than ever to making that a reality thanks to the Milwaukee Bucks reportedly coming to a brutal realization on the 2x MVP.
According to NBA insider Jake Fischer on Saturday, the Bucks are starting to believe their pathway to building a contender around Antetokounmpo is fading, making for an incredibly fascinating period between now and the February 5 trade deadline.
Bucks may be willing to trade Giannis Antetokounmpo
Despite the drastic move to turn Damian Lillard into Myles Turner during free agency, the Bucks are 18-26 on the season and 11th in the Eastern Conference. Having been staunch on keeping Antetokounmpo and doing all they possibly can to improve the roster around him, Fischer's latest report certainly suggests that the stance may be softening.
"All of that feeds into what sources describe as Milwaukee's grudging realization over the course of this season that pathways to providing Antetokounmpo with the championship contention he craves just aren't there. And that Antetokounmpo's exit, painful as it would be, might finally be best for both sides," Fischer wrote.
The timing of this could be perfect enough to gift the Warriors a lifeline, having seen their own season go up in smokes at the start of the week when Jimmy Butler went down with a devastating torn ACL injury.
If an Antetokounmpo trade truly comes into play before next month's deadline, Golden State would have to be trying to push themselves towards the front of a very long queue. With Butler now injured, they have a lot tradable contracts and all their draft picks to put on the table -- technically they could get Antetokounmpo while keeping Butler, though that would seem unlikely after the injury.
Antetokounmpo's own latest injury toward the end of Friday's disastrous loss to the depleted Denver Nuggets adds an extra wrinkle. The calf strain will sideline the 2x MVP for 4-6 weeks, having already suffered other soft tissue injuries earlier in the season.
The Warriors' post-Stephen Curry picks are already seen as very valuable, but would the Bucks now think they could be even more so with Antetokounmpo's injury concerns rising? Do they think he'll age like Curry and remain an elite player into his late thirties?
These are questions the Bucks may now be asking themselves if they're finally ready to canvas the league and see what an Antetokounmpo trade could truly land them before the deadline.