Giannis Antetokounmpo and Steph Curry
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Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks and Steph Curry of the Golden State Warriors.
The Golden State Warriors are one of four teams linked to Giannis Antetokounmpo ahead of the trade deadline. The Warriors have a lot of draft picks to throw at the Milwaukee Bucks, plus a young forward in Jonathan Kuminga.
ESPN’s Shams Charania reported last week that the Warriors, New York Knicks, Minnesota Timberwolves and Miami Heat are the teams to monitor in the Antetokounmpo trade race.
The Knicks and Timberwolves offer the best chance of competing for a championship, but they don’t have the assets that could convince the Bucks to trade Antetokounmpo.
The Warriors have four first-round picks, while the Heat can offer at least two first-round picks, or make it three, depending on certain situations, as reported by Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald.
New Team Emerges in Giannis Sweepstakes
It seems like the Golden State Warriors and three other teams mentioned have a new competition in the Giannis Antetokounmpo sweepstakes.
Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer revealed on Monday’s edition of The Insider Notebook that the Portland Trail Blazers are a team to monitor ahead of the deadline.
“We can confidently put Portland right in the mix of teams that are trying to get Giannis. We’ll see again if they can overcome the factors working against them,” Fischer said.
Fischer added that Antetokounmpo doesn’t see the Blazers as a trade destination despite having two former teammates there, Jrue Holiday and Damian Lillard. The franchise also doesn’t have the assets and prospects like Golden State or Miami to throw at Milwaukee.
However, they could still be a factor as a potential third team to facilitate a Giannis trade, especially if players like Mikal Bridges or Jaden McDaniels are available. Sean Highkin of The Rose Garden Report refuted the Blazers’ interest in Bridges, though the team was indeed looking at him a few years ago.
Doubts About Warriors’ Chances of Getting Giannis
The Golden State Warriors reportedly have the best possible offer to acquire Giannis Antetokounmpo from the Milwaukee Bucks, as reported by Jake Fischer on The Stein Line.
Four first-round picks are certainly mouth-watering, especially with Golden State unlikely to be a contender in five years. Jonathan Kuminga still has the potential to be special at just 23 years old, while Brandin Podziemski could be an important young role player for a rebuilding team.
Fischer did caution Warriors fans not to get excited because there are doubts within the franchise about Giannis wanting to stay in Golden State once Steph Curry retires. There’s also a perceived notion from his camp that he might get a lot of backlash like Kevin Durant in 2016.
“I have heard from sources briefed on the situation that some in the know suspect Antetokounmpo could be turned off by the idea of joining an older team and/or facing the sort of criticism that Kevin Durant continues to absorb to this day about teaming up with Curry,” Fischer wrote.
It will be interesting to see if the Warriors could land Giannis at the trade deadline or even in the offseason. The only problem for Golden State when the Bucks hold off until this summer is more teams will have additional picks to throw at the Bucks.