Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jonathan Kuminga, giannis to warriors, giannis trade, warriors
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Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks and Jonathan Kuminga #00 of the Golden State Warriors go for a rebound in the second half at Chase Center on March 06, 2024 in San Francisco, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
The Golden State Warriors have struggled to maximize the final few years of the great Stephen Curry’s prime. All that could change if they could pair Curry with another two-time MVP in Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Athletic’s John Hollinger has floated a potential Giannis to Warriors trade package, while citing Jonathan Kuminga as “one of the most obvious” pieces that the Milwaukee Bucks could be looking at in a potential deal for their longtime franchise star.
Hollinger, the former VP of Basketball Operations for the Memphis Grizzlies, believes the Warriors have the assets to pull off a Giannis trade, provided the Bucks view a pair of 23-year-olds like Kuminga and Moses Moody as building blocks.
Warriors would get: Giannis Antetokounmpo
Bucks would get: Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody or Buddy Hield, Draymond Green, three unprotected first-round picks
Giannis to Warriors: Possible?
It’s worth noting that, unlike the Los Angeles Lakers, New York Knicks and Miami Heat, the Warriors can offer up to three first-round picks in a potential Giannis trade, including their 2026 pick. Although teams such as the Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs are flush with more draft assets, the Warriors could build a pretty compelling package when compared to the other aging title contenders.
“So, the big question for the bigwigs by the Bay: If your team is 13-14 and you know Curry and Jimmy Butler might have an 18-month shelf life as difference-making players, isn’t it worth it to go chips-in on Antetokounmpo?
“Maybe they still would get outbid by a team like the Houston Rockets, but the Warriors have to at least discuss this,” wrote Hollinger, urging Golden State to make a Hail Mary offer.
Draymond Green, the X-Factor
The Warriors will be unable to pull off a Giannis trade without including Draymond Green, their longtime defensive anchor, in a potential deal. Mind you, the Bucks could always redirect Green to another team, but the former Defensive Player of the Year would have to be included in a package to make the money work.
There have been conflicting reports about the Warriors’ willingness to trade Green, given the close bond he shares with Curry and head coach Steve Kerr.
According to insider Jake Fischer, Giannis Antetokounmpo is the only player in the league that the Warriors would move Green for.
“Golden State values him too much, and they would not part ways with Draymond Green unless it was for Giannis, and that’s really it,” Fischer reported recently.
ClutchPoints’ Brett Siegel, however, cited his sources to claim Golden State considers Green untouchable, even for a game-changing superstar like the “Greek Freak.”
“I don’t know how many times we have to say it, but the Warriors WILL NOT be trading Draymond Green,” Siegel wrote on X. “As we’ve reported, it would take Green, Kerr, and Curry all signing off on such a move, and Green himself would need to be the one to say he wanted to be traded.”
The Giannis to Warriors buzz has been ongoing for years, dating back to 2018 when the “Greek Freak” said he “loves” Golden State’s pace-and-space offensive system. In subsequent years, several insiders suggested that the Warriors would be atop Antetokounmpo’s destinations if he ever considered leaving Milwaukee.
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.@RealJayWilliams poses a way for Steph Curry and the Warriors to get back to the biggest stage.
“There is a world in which Giannis says, ‘I want to be a part of this team.'”