With a very publicized dream of landing Giannis Antetokounmpo to pair with Stephen Curry, the Golden State Warriors are commonly linked to the 2x MVP whenever his future comes into speculation.
That has has happened more regularly over the past few months, but the Warriors are still a longer shot and face an uphill battle to acquire Antetokounmpo after a blockbuster report from ESPN's Shams Charania last week.
Insider puts Warriors at tier two of Giannis Antetokounmpo sweepstakes
Charania reported that the Milwaukee Bucks and New York Knicks had conversations around Antetokounmpo during the offseason on the basis that the Big Apple was the 30-year-old's first preference outside Milwaukee.
Given that report, Charania's ESPN colleague and Warriors insider Anthony Slater believes that Golden State are on the second tier of teams in the Antetokounmpo sweepstakes rather than the first if the superstar forward becomes available.
“I think I would say tier two because I think part of the Shams story is there was one team in tier one, right? I mean, it seems clear that like the Knicks kind of were the spot he is and was looking at," Slater said on The Hoop Collective. "But I think we all know there's like a level of flirtatiousness that has happened over the years between Giannis and the Warriors, Giannis and Steph.”
There won't be a shortage of teams in tier two, three or whatever should Antetokounmpo ultimately request a trade from Milwaukee, with a massive watch on how the Bucks start the season after making a desperate move for Myles Turner in free agency -- not to mention they've signed Giannis' brothers Thanasis and most recently Alex earlier this week.
The Warriors (and a host of other teams) appear to have more assets than the Knicks to put in a potential trade package, but Antetokounmpo's wish of landing in New York could trump everything else with only two years left on his current deal.
If Antetokounmpo rejects an extension from the Bucks at the start of next offseason, we can safely assume that trade talks will really heat up. However, at that point as he enters an expiring contract, the 9x All-Star will hold even stronger power over his future in a way Kevin Durant angled himself toward the Houston Rockets this offseason.
That will give the Knicks the upper hand if Antetokounmpo truly wants to head there, leaving the Warriors and other rivals as an outside shot even if they put together a more appetizing trade package for the Bucks to consider.