With February quickly approaching, the Golden State Warriors must make a firm trade decision they feel comfortable with.
Will the Warriors keep their roster intact, complete a small trade, or go all-in on a star to reassure Stephen Curry they haven’t given up on their championship aspirations?
Sports Illustrated’s Joey Akeley believes the Dubs will choose option No. 3 and swap a 6-foot-7 outcast for an ex-Finals MVP.
“(Giannis) Antetokounmpo and Stephen Curry would be the NBA's best tandem, and the Warriors would immediately be in the NBA title race,” Akeley wrote Tuesday. “The cost is enormous, so there would have to be some assurance that he'd sign an extension before the start of next season.”
“Once he signs that extension, there isn't nearly as much risk that this trade blows up in your face. Even if things go south a few seasons in, the Warriors could trade him—assuming he's still an elite player—for some of the draft capital they gave up.”
For clarity, the Warriors would send Jimmy Butler, Jonathan Kuminga, Brandin Podziemski, a 2026 unprotected first-round pick, a 2028 unprotected first-round pick, a 2030 first-round pick (protected 21-30), a 2031 unprotected first-round pick swap, and a 2032 unprotected first-round pick to the Bucks for Antetokounmpo and Kyle Kuzma.
If the Warriors are going to swing a deal for Antetokounmpo, they must move swiftly. The 2025-26 trade deadline is less than 14 days away, and the Dubs would likely kick themselves if they missed out on a golden opportunity to steal the two-time MVP from Milwaukee.
Including Butler and/or Draymond Green in a deal for Antetokounmpo is mandatory, as making Kuminga the featured asset wouldn’t be enticing enough to convince the Bucks to conduct business with the Warriors.
Considering the Warriors completed a last-second trade for a standout contributor last season (Butler), it isn’t fair to rule out the possibility of the seven-time NBA champions catching lightning in a bottle twice.
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