Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry high-fives Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks.
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Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry high-fives Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Golden State Warriors received a major boost in their pursuit of Giannis Antetokounmpo, as the team long believed to be his preferred landing spot is not aggressively pushing to get a deal done.
According to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, the New York Knicks are not showing the urgency or creativity required to win a bidding war for the two-time NBA MVP — a development that significantly strengthens Golden State’s position ahead of the Feb. 5 trade deadline.
“The Knicks believe in this team, and that could end up being an excellent assessment or that could end up being a mistake,” Windhorst said Monday on ESPN’s Get Up. “But they believed in this team last summer when Giannis was sort of loosely available. They didn’t make an aggressive offer at that time to move those talks forward.”
Knicks’ Trade Hesitation Creates Opening for Warriors
Windhorst explained that while rival executives expect Antetokounmpo’s situation to dominate deadline discussions, New York is not behaving like a franchise intent on landing a generational superstar.
“If they want to win a bidding war for Giannis now, I think it would take a three- or four-team trade,” Windhorst said. “That is just not happening. They are not showing that aggression to get Giannis right now.”
That restraint matters. Around the league, front offices widely believe that acquiring Antetokounmpo would require a complex, multi-team framework capable of delivering both immediate talent and long-term draft capital to Milwaukee. The Knicks, at least for now, appear unwilling to pay that price.
Knicks’ Asset Limitations Undercut Giannis Push
New York’s reluctance is compounded by a limited asset base.
The Knicks currently control only one tradable first-round pick — a top-eight-protected 2026 selection from Washington that is projected to convert into second-round picks. To assemble a competitive offer, New York would likely need to reroute key starters to additional teams to generate the draft capital and blue-chip prospects the Bucks are expected to demand.
That challenge has made league executives increasingly skeptical that the Knicks can — or will — outbid more flexible contenders.
Warriors’ Draft Capital, Flexibility Stand Out
Golden State, by contrast, is uniquely positioned.
The Warriors can offer up to four first-round picks, including three selections projected to fall in the post-Stephen Curry era — a timeline rival executives consistently view as premium draft capital.
Just as important, Golden State has multiple workable salary paths. The Warriors can construct a trade centered on Jimmy Butler alone or build broader frameworks involving Draymond Green and younger rotation players, depending on Milwaukee’s appetite for cap relief versus long-term assets.
They also possess a blue-chip young player in Jonathan Kuminga, the former No. 7 overall pick who has already drawn interest from the Bucks in prior offseason discussions.
That combination of picks, salaries and youth gives Golden State structural advantages few contenders can match.
Warriors’ Championship Window Raises Stakes
The Knicks’ hesitancy plays directly into Golden State’s urgency.
While New York appears content to ride its current core through the Eastern Conference, the Warriors face far steeper stakes. Butler’s season-ending ACL injury has effectively extinguished Golden State’s immediate championship hopes, leaving the franchise searching for a transformational move to revive its title window.
An Antetokounmpo trade would instantly vault the Warriors back into contention — not just for this season, but potentially for several more years — alongside Curry.
As Windhorst recently noted, Golden State is already viewed inside league circles as the benchmark offer.
“The Golden State Warriors are a team that immediately rises to the top of the list,” Windhorst previously said on NBA Today. “They can make a team-vs-team trade. They hold all of their future draft assets. They can trade up to four picks and more swaps.”
Golden State Emerges as Standard to Beat
Windhorst added that Golden State’s ability to combine elite draft capital with star-level salaries gives the franchise a rare advantage.
“This is where the discussion begins,” he said. “Everyone else will try to beat a strong Golden State offer.”
Whether Milwaukee ultimately chooses to move Antetokounmpo remains uncertain. But as the deadline approaches, one thing is increasingly clear: with the Knicks pulling back, the Warriors have emerged as the team best positioned to strike — if they choose to push all-in.
For Golden State, the opportunity may not come again.