Giannis Antetokounmpo's future continues to draw conjecture early in the season, with the Golden State Warriors one of a number of teams who could prepare themselves for a run at the 2x MVP.
NBA insider Marc Stein noted the Warriors as one of four teams -- along with the Miami Heat, New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets -- who could be primed to target Antetokounmpo if he was to ask out of Milwaukee.
Ranking the Warriors top 5 assets in a potential Giannis Antetokounmpo trade
Needless to say any trade for the 29-year-old would be a blockbuster one and require mortgaging much of the future. Even then Golden State would likely need Antetokounmpo to try and specifically angle his way to the Bay to avoid getting outbid by a rival team.
Having missed out on Paul George and Lauri Markkanen during the offseason, the Warriors still have the assets to at least get in the conversation. Let's look at the top five assets the franchise has to offer, all of which may have to be involved in any potential deal.
5. Andrew Wiggins
Andrew Wiggins has started to rehabilitate his value with an impressive start to the season, and that might be just in time for the Warriors who would almost certainly need to include his contract in any deal for Antetokounmpo.
The 2022 All-Star has averaged 18.5 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.3 assists so far this season, while also shooting a highly efficient 51% from the floor and 56.5% from three-point range. He's not necessarily an asset rival teams would be overly interested in right now, but that could change if he continues to look more like the player from 2021-22 than the one of last year.
4. Jonathan Kuminga
Having failed to reach a contract extension and after being demoted to the bench over the last three games, Jonathan Kuminga's own future is already becoming a storyline. The 22-year-old has impressed over that same period off the bench, and still holds the talent and potential that the Bucks (or another team) could covet.
The issue is the contract situation -- would the Bucks be willing to re-sign Kuminga on over $30 million as a restricted free agent next offseason? If they aren't, then there's really no value in him being included in the deal.
3. Brandin Podziemski
Golden State were unwilling to give up Brandin Podziemski in a deal for Markkanen during the offseason, but he would surely be sacrificed if it meant acquiring Antetokounmpo. The second-year guard has had a strange start to the season -- he's not shooting the ball well, but his ability to impact remains as showcased by the fact he leads the entire league in plus-minus.
Kuminga may still have the higher upside as a young player, yet the fact Podziemski still has two years after this one remaining on a rookie deal makes him the more valuable asset at this point.
2. 2029 First-Round Pick
You can assume every possible pick and pick swap would be headed the Bucks way if a trade were to go down. The Warriors do hold access to all their future first-round picks except for 2030 which will head to the Washington Wizards if it lands between 20-30.
By the 2029 NBA Draft rolls around, Stephen Curry will be 41-years-old and likely retired. Draymond Green will probably be continuing his media venture away from the court as a 39-year-old. Antetokounmpo will be 34 himself and who knows what support will be around him, or if he's still with Golden State at all.
1. 2031 First-Round Pick
The Warriors could trade their 2029 and 2031 first-round picks to the Bucks -- together they make the most desirable assets a team could possibly want, particularly if a trade also includes the young talent of Kuminga and Podziemski.
What Golden State are doing in 2031 is anyone's guess, but giving up the pick is a necessary risk if a player of Antetokounmpo's caliber is on the market and available.