The Warriors enter the stretch run with their margin for error essentially gone. They’re 27-23, sitting eighth in the West, good enough to stay in the mix but not good enough to coast into April without addressing obvious roster pressure points.
That urgency sharpened when the team announced Jimmy Butler will miss the remainder of the 2025-26 season with a torn right ACL. And yet the engine remains intact. Stephen Curry’s production is still championship-caliber: 27.3 points, 3.6 rebounds, 4.9 assists per game, and 4.5 made threes a night.
That’s why the Giannis Antetokounmpo conversation has moved to something serious. ESPN reported the Warriors contacted the Milwaukee Bucks in the past week and expressed firm interest in Antetokounmpo, with a willingness to put a substantial offer on the table.
This list lives in that reality: Curry is still elite, Butler’s injury accelerated the timeline, and the Warriors’ best path back to a fifth banner likely requires a superstar-level swing.
1. Giannis Antetokounmpo
Golden State Warriors Receive: Giannis Antetokounmpo
Milwaukee Bucks Receive: Draymond Green, Jonathan Kuminga, Al Horford, Will Richard, 2026 first-round pick, 2027 first-round pick swap, 2028 first-round pick, 2030 first-round pick, 2031 first-round pick swap
The reason this even belongs in a “trade ideas” list is the Bucks’ season. They’re 18-28 and sitting in the bottom half of the East, which is the kind of record that forces uncomfortable conversations, even if you have a top-five player.
Giannis has done his job. He’s at 28.0 points, 10.0 rebounds, 5.6 assists and an absurd 64.5% from the field. That’s not a “down year,” that’s a guy playing like a cheat code while the ecosystem around him hasn’t held up enough. When a team is losing while a star is producing like that, it’s usually not about talent; it’s about the build.
There has been legitimate smoke on the Warriors’ angle, too, as they’ve been hunting Giannis for many years. ESPN’s deadline reporting, via Shams Charania, described the Bucks’ leadership as more willing to at least entertain the conversation, and framed Giannis as the Warriors’ “dream” target that has actually moved into planning territory. That’s the useful part: not “it’s happening,” but “it’s being modeled.”
Basketball-wise, the fit is violent. The Warriors are 27-23, and Curry is still putting up 27.3 points while drilling 4.5 threes per game at 39.2% from deep. Put Giannis next to that level of gravity, and you’re forcing defenses to choose which nightmare they want. Stay attached to Curry, Giannis is downhill with a runway. Load up in the paint, Curry is getting clean air. That’s title math.
Contract-wise, this is the monster number: Giannis is at $54.1 million in 2025-26. The outgoing salary in this framework is basically the whole point. Draymond Green ($25.9 million) and Jonathan Kuminga ($22.5 million) are the pillars; Al Horford is another matching piece. The picks and swaps are the real selling tool, because if the Bucks ever go down this road, they can’t just “get players,” they have to control the next era.
This is the cleanest version of a Warriors all-in that actually makes sense. It hurts to move Draymond, it guts depth, and it risks turning the defense into a new puzzle. But if you’re trying to buy Curry a real fifth-title path, there are only a handful of players on earth who change the ceiling instantly. Giannis is one of them, maybe the best one.
2. Lauri Markkanen
Golden State Warriors Receive: Lauri Markkanen
Utah Jazz Receive: Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody, Buddy Hield, De’Anthony Melton, Will Richard, 2026 first-round pick
This is the clean “we tried this before, now we’re coming back with the version that actually gets a conversation” swing.
Because the Warriors did chase Markkanen in 2024, and it died for two reasons: the Jazz’s price and the Jazz’s leverage. The most consistent reporting at the time was that the Jazz wanted a haul that basically started with Brandin Podziemski plus a pile of picks, and the Warriors weren’t willing to empty the cupboard to that level. The Jazz later extended Lauri Markkanen, which naturally ended talks.
Fast-forward to now, and the context is different. The Warriors are eighth in the West, and playing on a timeline where “good” is not the point anymore. Meanwhile, the Jazz are 15-33 and drifting further into the lottery lane, which is where the real pressure starts, not on talent, but on direction. Even The Salt Lake Tribune suggested the Jazz don’t expect major, headline moves, but that doesn’t mean they ignore the right kind of offer.
Markkanen is exactly the kind of player who changes what the Warriors are offensively without forcing them to change who they are. He’s averaging 27.4 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.2 assists on 47.9% from the field, and he’s at roughly 36.5% from three while taking close to eight threes a game. That’s the profile: a high-volume spacer who still punishes switches, still attacks closeouts, and still creates “oh no” moments when defenses overreact to Curry’s gravity.
The fit is obvious. Curry plus a 7-footer who can score 25-plus and stretch the floor to the logo is how you stop seeing two defenders at half-court every possession. You can run the same movement principles, but now the release valve is a real top option, not a “hope the bench survives” plan.
The money is also the reality check. Markkanen is at $46.3 million, so this only exists if the Warriors send real salary out, not just “young guys and picks.” That’s why this framework stacks multiple contracts and makes Kuminga the headliner. From the Jazz side, Kuminga is the upside bet, Moody is another developmental wing, and the pick is the clean asset that keeps the door open for a longer reset.
If the Warriors are serious about building a second star layer around Curry without waiting for a miracle, Markkanen is the rare name that fits the system and the urgency at the same time.
3. Devin Booker
Golden State Warriors Receive: Devin Booker
Phoenix Suns Receive: Jimmy Butler, Brandin Podziemski, 2026 first-round pick, 2028 first-round pick, 2032 first-round pick
This is the kind of idea that only shows up when a front office decides the cleanest way to extend a window is to trade for a scorer who can carry possessions without hijacking the system.
That’s Devin Booker. He’s not a heliocentric “my turn” star, he’s a pressure-release valve who can run the offense for long stretches, then slide next to Steph and punish defenses for overhelping.
The obvious obstacle is that the Suns are not behaving like a team that’s about to punt on its franchise guard. They’re 30-19 and sixth in the West, which typically pushes you toward tweaking, not detonating. And in the broader deadline ecosystem, the league chatter has framed Booker as an “off the table” type of player for them. That’s why this remains a true “superstar idea” rather than a prediction.
But it becomes at least explainable once you look at the Warriors’ side. The Butler ACL injury nuked the original plan for a second star who could create in the half-court when playoff defenses load up on Curry. If the Warriors are going to take a real swing anyway, you can make the argument that they should prioritize a younger, durable offensive engine who can scale up or down depending on the night.
Booker’s season production fits that thesis: 25.4 points, 6.2 assists, 4.0 rebounds on 45.6% from the field. The three-point percentage has dipped to a career-low 31.3% this year, which is worth mentioning because it changes how defenses tag him off-ball.
Still, the larger skill package remains what it’s always been: elite shot-making from the midrange, live-dribble playmaking when a defense tilts, and enough gravity that opponents can’t just “switch and chill” like they do against normal wings.
The fit is where it gets fun. Curry plus Booker isn’t redundant, it’s brutal. You can run the same split-action and off-ball motion, but now the secondary handler is a star who can actually punish traps and blitzes with pull-up scoring or pocket passing. It also changes the math late in games. Instead of praying a role player can create a decent look when Curry gets forced off the ball, you’re running two-man actions with two elite shot creators and living with the results.
From the Suns’ perspective, the sell is not “Butler replaces Booker,” because Butler is out for the season. The sell is asset and timeline control. You’d be turning a mega $53.1 million salary star slot into future first-round picks plus a young guard, while also getting a proven playoff personality to stabilize the culture once he’s healthy. It’s a reset that still keeps you competitive, instead of a full bottom-out.
This is extremely unlikely unless the Suns decide their current path has peaked, but if the Warriors are hunting a superstar who actually fits the Curry ecosystem, Booker is one of the few names that makes tactical sense and raises the ceiling immediately.
4. LaMelo Ball
Golden State Warriors Receive: LaMelo Ball
Charlotte Hornets Receive: Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody, Brandin Podziemski, Will Richard, 2026 first-round pick
This is the “swing for chaos” superstar idea, the kind that only makes sense if the Warriors decide they need a second elite creator next to Steph, not just another finishing piece.
LaMelo Ball is polarizing, but the ceiling is obvious: he bends defenses with live-dribble passing, he pushes pace instantly, and he creates easy shots before opponents can load up on Curry.
The Hornets angle is where it gets interesting, because the reporting has been mixed, and that matters. Jake Fischer has said the Hornets are not actively looking to move LaMelo, and that multiple people inside the building want to see more of the roster context before any drastic decision.
At the same time, the league has treated him like a “monitor this” name for months, and even recent deadline chatter has kept him in the rumor ecosystem. Sam Amick of The Athletic noted the Hornets are still hopeful they can make it work with LaMelo, largely because trading him now “makes little sense.” That’s basically the truth and the tension at once: they don’t want to move him, but the market keeps calling because the team hasn’t stabilized.
Record-wise, the Hornets are 21-28, and that’s the kind of season that forces you to pick a direction. If you’re the Hornets and you’re not convinced you can build a real contender around LaMelo’s style, this is a reset package that actually looks like a plan: a high-upside forward (Kuminga), two rotation guards on controllable timelines (Moody, Podziemski), a young flyer, and a clean first-round pick. It’s quantity, but it’s also optionality.
For the Warriors, the bet is straightforward. LaMelo is at 19.1 points, 4.7 rebounds, 7.6 assists on 40.8% from the field, and he’s at 36.1% from three. That efficiency profile is not pretty, but the passing and shot creation are real, and his three-point volume means defenses still have to account for him. He’s also owed $37.9 million, which tells you this isn’t a “nice addition,” it’s a full commitment to building a second star layer.
Fit-wise, I like it more than most people will admit. The Warriors have been searching for someone who can run offense when Steph sits, and still be dangerous when Steph plays, without shrinking the floor. LaMelo checks that box. The concern is the same one you already know: can you survive defensively with him in the highest-leverage minutes, and can you keep the decision-making tight enough when the game slows down.
If the Hornets ever decide the cleanest path forward is to cash out at peak value, this is the type of offer that at least forces a real meeting.
5. Karl-Anthony Towns
Golden State Warriors Receive: Karl-Anthony Towns, Guerschon Yabusele
New York Knicks Receive: Jimmy Butler, Gary Payton II, Quinten Post, 2026 first-round pick, 2028 first-round pick, 2032 first-round pick
This is the kind of superstar swing that only becomes realistic when two things are true at the same time: the Warriors feel the Curry window tightening, and the Knicks decide their current build has a hard ceiling.
The Knicks are 29-18 and sitting near the top of the East, so on paper, this is not a team that should be shopping a star. But the Karl-Anthony Towns rumor cycle has been simmering anyway, mostly because of expectations, not record.
Marc Stein reported that while the Knicks are not likely to trade Towns before the Feb. 5 deadline, they’ve had interest in understanding his value on the open market, with the broader league logic being that if the Knicks fall short of ownership’s stated “Finals” goal, Towns could become a summer trade candidate.
Towns is also expensive enough that any conversation about him is automatically a roster-shaping decision. He’s making $53.1 million in the season, and he’s producing like a true No. 2 option while doing the dirty work: 20.0 points, 11.8 rebounds, 2.9 assists on 46.1% from the field, and he’s leading the league in rebounds. Even when his scoring dips, he’s been dominating games on the glass, including consecutive outings with 20-plus rebounds recently.
For the Warriors, the fit is painfully obvious. A five who can score without needing to hijack possessions is the cleanest way to punish teams that top-lock Curry and load up on movement. Towns gives you a real half-court release valve, someone who can win a possession when the motion gets stalled, and someone defenses can’t just “switch and survive” against late in the clock.
Add Yabusele as a rotation forward, and you’re also rebuilding the frontcourt depth that gets exposed in playoff series when the game turns into a matchup grind.
For the Knicks, this is a direction shift disguised as a retool. Butler’s salary is $54.1 million, so the financial mechanics are heavy, but the point would be changing the team’s late-game identity while also stacking extra first-round picks to keep future flexibility alive.
If the Knicks ever decide that Towns as the “second pillar” isn’t the exact blueprint they want, this is a package that gives them a different star archetype once healthy, plus draft ammo that can be rerouted into the next move.
This is not a “deadline lock,” it’s a “big-picture pressure” trade. The reporting says the Knicks aren’t rushing to move him now, but the fact that his value is being calibrated at all tells you the story is alive. And if the Warriors are truly shopping for a superstar who fits Curry without breaking the system, Towns is one of the cleanest basketball answers on the board.
