The dream of trading for Giannis Antetokounmpo is one the Golden State Warriors have held for what feels like forever, but now more than ever it feels like it could finally become a reality.
Antetokounmpo's legendary time at the Bucks is nearing on becoming untenable, and one notable analyst believes the Warriors are just the team to execute a trade before next month's February 5 deadline.
Sam Vecenie believes Warriors are well placed to trade for Giannis
Speaking recently on his Game Theory podcast, The Athletic's draft guru Sam Vecenie outlined exactly why Milwaukee should be looking at Golden State as a potential trade partner to maximize their return for the 2x MVP.
“The team that tracks to me most is Golden State and here's the reason why. If I am Milwaukee in a Giannis trade, I'm trying to get everybody's picks for the longest term possible. And I want the picks to have the highest potential value humanly possible," Vecenie said.
"To me, if I was betting on a situation that I would feel comfortable trying to gamble on, betting against those long term picks from 2029 out to 2032, right? I would love to bet on Golden State, given that Stephen Curry is, what, 37?”
This makes a lot of sense and is why the Warriors should be among the lead suitors for Antetokounmpo if a trade was to take place before the deadline. Golden State have all their picks available aside from a top 20 protected selection in 2030, while also having multiple moveable contracts to construct various frameworks that Milwaukee could eventually land on.
The one thing the Warriors don't have -- and that could eventually cost them in trade discussions -- is a valuable young player who the Bucks could see as being able to build around. Jonathan Kuminga would certainly be on the table, and perhaps too Brandin Podziemski, but they're certainly supplementary pieces that are less valuable than the picks themselves.
However, those teams that do have top tier young prospects may be content at their current position, at least compared to Golden State who face a level of desperation following Jimmy Butler's season-ending ACL injury last Monday.
I think the only plausible in-season teams are Golden State, New York and Miami, and Golden State's full draft beats Miami's partial draft+players and New York's "well maybe you can flip Bridges and KAT" packages for me.
In the summer, a ton changes. https://t.co/wiuD5aWPRH
— Sam Quinn (@SamQuinnCBS) January 27, 2026
As much as any team could try to put an appetizing offer forward to the Bucks, there's a strong chance that Antetokounmpo has a major say on his future and where he ends up. Would the Warriors, for example, give up all their picks if they didn't get an assurance from the 31-year-old that he would sign an extension?
That 2032 pick, in particular, is the golden nugget Milwaukee would be chasing. By that point Stephen Curry will be 44-years-old and you can only presume retired, while even Antetokounmpo himself will be nearly 38.
In the wake of Butler's injury, a trade for Antetokounmpo seems like about the only move Golden State could make that makes them a legitimate threat this season. That might still seem highly unlikely, but the chances are seemingly growing by the day and Vecenie's comments are another positive sign.