The Warriors found themselves right in the middle of Giannis Antetokounmpo’s sweepstakes as soon as it was confirmed that the Bucks’ front office is listening to potential offers for the Greek superstar.
NBA insider Marc Stein confirms what we had presumed would eventually happen: that the Warriors included Draymond Green, presumably with Brandin Podziemski and Jonathan Kuminga, in their offer for Giannis Antetokounmpo, combined with draft assets.
*“The Stein Line was the first to report on Jan. 23 that Jimmy Butler would not be included in Golden State’s Giannis offers, and it has since been confirmed that the Warriors have indeed made Draymond Green part of their pitch to Milwaukee in presumed combination with Jonathan Kuminga, Milwaukee native Brandin Podziemski, and draft capital,*” wrote Stein in his latest substack.
The Warriors likely included the 2029 and 2032 first-round picks in their offer. Here’s why: since the Bucks could get enticed by controlling a stake in the Warriors’ future after Stephen Curry retires. They wouldn’t be lured into a deal solely by a veteran player in Draymond Green and two struggling young players who may develop in the future.
Podziemski is currently averaging 12.1 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 3.6 assists while shooting 45.3% from the field in 51 games played. Meanwhile, Kuminga averaged 12.1 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 2.5 assists while making 45.4% of his field-goal attempts.
Both these young players combined do not average as much scoring as Giannis brings to the table alone. The Greek superstar is currently averaging 28.0 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 5.6 assists on 64.5% shooting from the floor.
In my opinion, the Bucks will try to extend this saga until the summer, when, instead of two high-value first-round picks, they could extract four high-value picks from them. As of now, this offer may not be enough if they feel under pressure to trade Antetokounmpo before the summer.
Bucks Feel Only Luck Can Keep Giannis Antetokounmpo In Milwaukee Now
In the same report where Stein confirmed the aforementioned offer, he also mentioned an additional reason for the Bucks to hold off on any moves before the trade deadline.
“League sources say that the Bucks — who deep down would still prefer not to trade their Face of the Franchise — believe that a bolt of lottery luck in May could still keep alive Milwaukee’s dream of convincing Antetokounmpo to extend the relationship one more time,” wrote Stein.
The Bucks are currently 19-29 for the season, sitting in the 12th seed in the East with Giannis sidelined due to a calf injury as his exit becomes increasingly imminent.
They are seemingly hoping to replicate the Mavericks’ exceptional luck of landing the No. 1 overall pick with a 1.8% chance of doing so. But unfortunately for them, they do not control their first-round picks over the next four seasons.
The only way they can land a valuable draft asset for the upcoming draft is by a trade. Therefore, the likelihood of landing any talent in the draft that convinces Antetokounmpo to stay is very minuscule.