Warriors insider crushes fans with brutal Giannis trade prediction

The Golden State Warriors remain one of the strongest suitors for Giannis Antetokounmpo before this Thursday's trade deadline, but there's no shortage of competition as rivals chase the Milwaukee Bucks superstar.

Along with the Warriors, the Miami Heat have been strongly pushed as a potential landing spot for Antetokounmpo. However, one Warriors insider has dealt a crushing blow to fans of both franchises, believing that the 2x MVP will ultimately land with the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Warriors insider predicts Giannis trade to the Timberwolves

Speaking on KNBR on Monday, Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic rose optimism by stating his belief that Antetokounmpo will indeed be traded before the deadline, only to shatter Golden State fans by predicting that he'll be on the move to Minnesota.

The Timberwolves have emerged as a potential suitor for Antetokounmpo alongside the Warriors, Heat and New York Knicks, with the appeal of playing next to rising superstar Anthony Edwards reportedly a strong factor for the 31-year-old.

"Minnesota is believed to be a destination that strongly appeals to Giannis Antetokounmpo if/when he finally leaves Milwaukee because of his admiration for Timberwolves All-Star Anthony Edwards," NBA insider Jake Fischer of The Stein Line reported on Monday.

If Antetokounmpo is traded elsewhere or remains with the Bucks beyond the deadline, there will undoubtedly be a collective groan among Warrior fans, such has been the rising hope of the franchise acquiring one of the league's best players.

However, that groan will only be heard louder if it's the Timberwolves who end up with Antetokounmpo. Firstly, it's a Western Conference rival who will wind up with exactly what Golden State are trying to do -- pair together two of the best dozen players in the league. If the Warriors aren't to get Antetokounmpo themselves, they would surely prefer he remain in Milwaukee or at the very least in the Eastern Conference.

Secondly, Golden State have prepared for this moment by keeping all of their future draft capital. In contrast, Minnesota used much of their own picks on a questionable trade for Rudy Gobert in 2022, not to mention spent a future first-round pick on acquiring Rob Dillingham at the 2024 NBA Draft.

Should the Timberwolves now prove capable of dealing multiple players for draft capital that can appease the Bucks, it would make a mockery of exactly what the Warriors have been trying to plan for years.

An Antetokounmpo move to Minnesota would be a double gut-punch for the Warriors, but the value of their own draft capital and ability to do a simpler two-team trade are still reasons for optimism.