The Golden State Warriors have been linked to Giannis Antetokounmpo for years, and this summer it appears that such a trade could finally come to fruition. Yet that opportunity comes with a deadline: the 2025 NBA Draft.
That's what ESPN NBA Draft expert Jonathan Givony shared on Monday, hours before the NBA Draft Lottery, when well-known newsbreaker Shams Charania reported that Antetokounmpo was not convinced about staying with the Milwaukee Bucks long-term. The Shams report truly seems like the groundwork for an official trade request in the coming weeks.
The Warriors want to trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo
That's music to the ears of the Warriors and their fans, who have been pining for the Greek Freak for years now. He is an athletic marvel whose skill level is underrated; his combination of scoring, playmaking and efficiency is literally unique in NBA history. He has been a Top-3 finisher for MVP for nearly a decade now. He's a machine.
He is 30 years old now, and his prime will not last forever. That is less of a worry for the Warriors, who are trying to maximize the next couple of seasons. It's not as if Antetokounmpo has shown massive signs of decline, either; his defensive intensity has waned a bit, but his offensive production is at an all-time high. He has plenty left in the tank.
The chemistry that never existed between Giannis and Damian Lillard was in large part due to the fact that both players thrive with the ball in their hands; for all of his long-range mastery, Lillard is a pull-up shooter, not a movement shooter. Antetokounmpo can roll to the basket, but he is much more comfortable driving with the ball than hoping it finds him.
Wardell Stephen Curry, of course, is a genius without the ball. He screens, he cuts, he pivots, he relocates like few others in NBA history. If the defense has to focus on Antetokounmpo, then Curry can move off-ball in ways that will either pull defenders out of Giannis's path or free him up for a quick-trigger triple.
There are other questions that need to be answered, including how the Warriors will match his salary and what assets need to be included to entice the Bucks to come to the table. How much value would Wisconsin native Brandin Podziemski have in a deal? Moses Moody? Will Jimmy Butler or Draymond Green be included?
Now an extra layer is added to the equation: timing. Last summer, the Warriors were in discussions to trade for Paul George before a deal fell apart. The primary reason? Timing. There was an immovable deadline for Chris Paul's contract to be guaranteed and the Warriors had to make a decision beforehand. Thankfully, the LA Clippers balked, the deal fell through, and the Warriors dodged the bullet that was Paul George and his contract this season.
Their other trade dalliance was with Lauri Markkanen, and that likewise had a deadline attached. The Utah Jazz were either going to trade Markkanen or extend him, and they had a narrow window to execute their action. They ultimately decided to hold onto the All-Star forward and extend him, making him untradeable until this upcoming offseason.
Now the NBA Draft looms as the next deadline in the path of a Warriors trade negotiation. Finding the right price that works for the Warriors and Bucks will be difficult, and will almost certainly involve a third team. Yet with a number of teams lining up to make a run at Antetokounmpo, and draft picks with exploding timers set to be used on June 25.
If the Warriors don't want to be left standing out in the cold, they need to be ready to make their best offer by June 25th, the night of the 2025 NBA Draft. If not, some other team might just swoop in and take another star before the Warriors can get to the finish line.
If Giannis Antetokounmpo is not on the Warriors on June 26th, he may never be.