According to a bombshell post on X from NBA insider Shams Charania that nearly broke social media, the Bucks are reportedly willing to listen to trade offers for their Greek superstar, Giannis Antetokounmpo, amid growing internal frustration within the franchise.
Just like most franchises in the NBA, the Warriors are reportedly in the race to figure out and make their best offer that would convince the Bucks’ front office to let Antetokounmpo land in Golden State.
As per Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix, the Warriors are hoping to convince the Bucks with a trade package centered around Jonathan Kuminga or Jimmy Butler.
The dream scenario would likely also include three first-round picks and two key players, such as Brandin Podziemski and Draymond Green, going to Milwaukee.
NBA fans saw this information on social media and could not believe what they were seeing. A package ‘headlined’ with a player who is out for the season or a disgruntled and inconsistent player seems a bit far-fetched to them.
“So, a guy who is overrated or a guy with a torn ACL and a few picks? (They don’t have many) That’s not a great offer.”
“Probably not gonna get it done.”
“If I’m the Bucks, I’m respectfully declining that offer.”
“If the Warriors’ leadership cared about Steph and giving him one more shot, they’d offer the house lmao.”
“The word ‘willing’ should be replaced with ‘desperately hoping the Bucks are dumb enough to accept.'”
“Why would they want Jimmy Butler?”
Several such reactions from fans flooded social media as fans reminded the Warriors why their hopes might be unrealistic. To be fair to the Warriors, they do not have much to offer in terms of valuable players beyond Butler, Kuminga, Green, and probably another young player like Podziemski or Moses Moody.
If the Warriors want to pair up Giannis Antetokounmpo with Stephen Curry, then those players are, on paper, their best possible offer (excluding the number of draft assets to be potentially involved to swing the trade). The Warriors may simply not have any player of interest to the Bucks.
Moreover, Antetokounmpo reportedly wants to land on a team that immediately makes them title contenders. Putting together a new roster around this core would put them in a similar position as the Lakers were in last season, after their blockbuster trade for Luka Doncic (not immediate title contenders).
As much as the Warriors would love to capitalize and maximize on Curry’s championship window, giving up the entire armada of future draft assets may not make sense to them if it comes at the cost of not being sustainable in the long run and going into the same position two or three years later as the Bucks are in right now.
Therefore, while the Warriors fans might be praying that somehow their dreams come true, Antetokounmpo lands with their team, it will come at a big risk, which their front office should be willing to take, and the Bucks should be willing to accept. Both of which seem unlikely.
Hence, the NBA world seems to believe the Warriors should let go of their dream to land Antetokounmpo with such a trade package unless they involve multiple teams like the Rockets did with Kevin Durant (a creative seven-team trade).
A lot is possible before the trade deadline, but Antetokounmpo’s future may reportedly be decided in the summer. It will be interesting to see how the front offices end up dealing with this potential blockbuster trade scenario.
