Grading a rumored blockbuster trade to bring East superstar to the Warriors
Why the Bucks would make the trade
For the Milwaukee Bucks to make a Giannis Antetokounmpo trade, he has to come to the team and ask out. They aren't going to make that decision of their own volition. They are an aging small market team and have a two-time MVP in his prime; they aren't letting go unless forced to.
Once Antetokounmpo does that, however, the bar for a deal is lowered. We aren't asking whether this trade package can convince them to move him; we are asking whether it's enough to beat out other offers from other teams and approximate fair value for the perennial All-NBA forward.
Bruce Brown and hometown hero Kevon Looney join the deal as matching salary; both are on expiring contracts and can fill a role if the Bucks try to stay competitive the rest of the season. The draft capital of three first-round picks (the first two unprotected, the 2030 first conveying if it falls 1-20) and two swaps is substantial, right in line with similar deals for Kevin Durant or Donovan Mitchell in recent years.
On top of the draft picks, this package also includes Jonathan Kuminga, Brandin Podziemski and Trayce Jackson-Davis. The Warriors retain Moses Moody but otherwise send out their young core to bring back Antetokounmpo. There is no one single player as good as Mikal Bridges or Lauri Markkanen, the centerpieces of the two aforementioned trades, but the combination of youth and upside of Kuminga and Podziemski is significant.
It's possible that another team beats this offer, especially if the Houston Rockets get involved with their roster of young prospects or the San Antonio Spurs or Utah Jazz with their incredible fountain of draft picks; the Oklahoma City Thunder would be an insane dark horse bringing both picks and prospects to the table.
Yet this is certainly a deal that could win the day in a Giannis Antetokounmpo trade, a package that values him as a superstar and MVP candidate. The question becomes, should the Warriors make this trade?