The Golden State Warriors have passed up on a number of deals over the years to reach their current position as a suitor for wantaway Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo.
But it still remains unlikely that the Warriors can land Antetokounmpo before Thursday's trade deadline, and their pursuit of the 2x MVP might have just cost them another star in the form of Jaren Jackson Jr.
Warriors looked at Jaren Jackson Jr. before trade to Jazz
Jackson was traded to the Utah Jazz on Tuesday, with the Memphis Grizzlies receiving three first-round picks, former top 10 pick Taylor Hendricks, and last year's 18th overall pick Walter Clayton Jr as part of an eight-player transaction.
The fact the Jazz were the team that ultimately traded for Jackson was a shock, but in fairness there had been some speculation on the 26-year-old's future for weeks given all the drama surrounding Ja Morant, and after the Grizzlies moved Desmond Bane to the Orlando Magic for a haul of draft assets during the offseason.
According to ESPN's Shams Charania on Wednesday, Jackson "was looked at as a potential difference-maker within the Warriors," suggesting some level of interest in the former Defensive Player of the Year.
While the return Memphis got for their 2x All-Star was a strong one, Utah's offer could have easily been toppled by Golden State whose future picks would likely be deemed more valuable than the ones ultimately relinquished in the trade.
Yet instead of going down the Jackson path (or any other), the Warriors are firmly focused on using their draft capital to acquire Antetokounmpo in the next 24 hours. Not only are Golden State prepared to throw in all their valuable future picks, but they're quite clearly also ready to say a heartfelt goodbye to veteran forward Draymond Green.
Trading for Jackson -- who's making $35 million this season -- likely could have allowed the Warriors to keep Green. However, the 6'10" forward does have a four-year, $205 million extension about to kick in, making it debatable whether Golden State would have actually gone as far to beat Utah's offer even if the Antetokounmpo factor wasn't at play.
There's no doubt that Jackson could have had a major impact on both sides of the floor though, having averaged 19.2 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.5 blocks with the Grizzlies this season on 47.5% shooting from the floor and 35.9% from 3-point range.
All eyes remain on Antetokounmpo in the hours before the deadline, with the Minnesota Timberwolves and Miami Heat also part of the chase for the 10x All-Star.