On Wednesday morning, the NBA world got news that Giannis Antetokounmpo could potentially be on his way out of Milwaukee. If that's the case, the Golden State Warriors have the ideal opportunity to manufacture a trade proposal and try to get Stephen Curry a teammate that could actually make the final few years of his career meaningful again.
Times have been hard on the Warriors as of late. Golden State lost Jimmy Butler for the season last week, and what was once a season with just a glimmer of hope turned into a completely lost one. With Butler healthy, the Warriors would have had an outside chance of making a deep playoff run and giving Curry a chance at one more championship.
But even then, the chances were highly slim. Now, they're borderline nonexistent. The Warriors don't have much to play for at the moment, which led me to think it might be a good idea to just make a nostalgic move and bring back Klay Thompson. But with this new bit of news, perhaps Golden State can actually make something meaningful happen, and give Steph the type of teammate that could help him win championship number five.
The Warriors have to make a play for Giannis Antetokounmpo
Again, acquiring Giannis was never going to be easy. But this new report indicates that Antetokounmpo is ready for a new home, and it could be the ideal time for the Warriors to strike. They have a piece of leverage that most teams can't claim: Employing a superstar like Curry that, even if he's a bit older at this point, could give Giannis the type of teammate he would love to have by his side in this next stage of his career.
Those two, along with whatever supporting pieces Golden State can retain in a hypothetical trade, would put this franchise in a position to finally be a legitimate contender in the West once again. For too long, the Warriors have been overly optimistic about their roster without enough talent to truly make noise in the West. This would change that circumstance in a hurry, and the best part is that it would keep Stephen Curry relevant until the end of his career.
Instead of riding off into the sunset on a perpetual middle-of-the-pack team, number 30 would get to end it still fighting for a championship, the way other legends like Tim Duncan did it. The Warriors would have to give up probably every meaningful asset they have to acquire a player like Giannis, but this is unquestionably their chance.