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The Golden State Warriors were previously heavy favorites in Giannis Antetokounmpo trade rumors to land the star but that now seems unlikely.
The GoldenState Warriorstried and failed to trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo at the February 5th NBA trade deadline, but it wasn’t for a lack of effort, as the front office was ready to send a massive haul to the Milwaukee Bucks for the two-time MVP.
But after missing out on Antetokounmpo at the deadline, the Warriors’ hopes of landing the superstar in the offseason might not be out of reach. After it became clear they weren’t landing the Greek Freak, Golden State chose instead to trade for Kristaps Porzingis, sending Jonathan Kuminga out in the process.
Shams Charania
BREAKING: The Golden State Warriors are trading Jonathan Kuminga and Buddy Hield to the Atlanta Hawks for Kristaps Porzingis, sources tell ESPN.
With that, the Warriors are now left with an asset in Porzingisthat the Bucks will likely not want back, and now without Kuminga, the injured Jimmy Butler, and quickly-declining Draymond Green, the chances of Antetokounmpo landing in the Bay Area this summer fell nearly out of reach, despite franchise star Stephen Curry still playing at an All-NBA level.
Warriors Get Bad News On Giannis Trade Rumors
While Golden State was on a short list of teams ready to make a push for Antetokounmpo, the Bucks chose instead to keep him past the deadline, and after making the Porzingis deal, Golden State has littlehope of getting the 2021 Finals MVP.
Writing for BlueManHoop.com, G.C. Bellchamber discussed how,with the Porzingis move as well as Green’s declining performance, Golden State has little to offer to the Bucks compared to what teams around the league would be willing to give up for Antetokounmpo.
“With Kuminga’s $24 million and Hield’s $10 million salary off the books, the Warriors now have very little in their arsenal to utilize for salary matching purposes,” he wrote. “If Draymond Green is taken off the table, their largest reasonably tradable salary is Moses Moody’s, which sits at a modest $12.5 million annually over the next three seasons on an inclining scale.”
By trading Kuminga and Buddy Hield, the Warriors gave up two of their top trade assets that could have been extremely valuable this summer. While both were likely winding down their tenure inGolden State, keeping both heading into the offseason would likely be better than Porzingis and his contract.
“Kristaps Porzingis is an expiring contract. Jonathan Kuminga and Buddy Hield can have contracts that go into next summer, so the Hawks have some stuff to trade with,” Tim Bontemps of ESPN said on The Hoop Collective podcast. “That significantly impacts [the Warriors’] ability to add an impact player or multiple impact players this summer via trade.”
Assets aside, Curry would likely be the only reason Antetokounmpo would want to go to Golden State. Yet still, with him at 37 years old, adding the Greek star wouldn’t necessarily be a fix to their dreaded two-timeline strategy, and Antetokounmpo would likely only have two or three seasons left with Curry to compete for another title.
Draymond Green and Porzingis News Also Doesn’t Bode Well For a Warriors’ Giannis Trade
What is another nail in the coffin is the latest news on Porzinigis and Green, the two playerswho would likely have to be included in a trade with the Bucks for Antetokounmpo.
According to a new article from Bleacher Report, Porzingis was named the fourth-most overrated player in the NBA, with Green topping the list.
“Porziņģis was averaging just 45.4 healthy games over the last eight years coming into this season. Injuries have unfortunately robbed him of a potential Hall of Fame career,” Greg Swartz wrote on the Latvian. “Even when at full strength, Porziņģis is averaging 17.1 points per game this season (the lowest since his rookie year), 5.1 rebounds (his worst ever, by a lot)and 1.3 blocks (tied for a career low). A 36.0 percent mark from three is also below his career average.”
Porzingis hasn’t played a game for the Warriors yet, still dealing with a lingering Achilles injury and a health issue called P.O.T.S.He still doesn’t have adirect timelineto make his debut with the franchise.
As for Green, his declinegoesfurther than just his statistical numbers.His overall performance and ability to be the key facilitator and defensive anchor for Golden Stateare far from wherethey were in the late 2010s, and with a player option for next season, he could seriously hinder the Warriors’ salary capto even attempt to trade for another star.
Green’s offense is essentially limited to a few good passes a game and hard screens. For a guy who’splaying on a $100 million contract, the Warriors are no longer getting their money’s worth,” Swartz wrote on the 2017 DPOY. “If Green isn’t defending at a high level, there’s little else Golden State can count on him for.”
Finally, Antetokounmpo himself recently revealed a list of five teamsthat he would be interested in playingon. Of those includedwere theKnicks, Lakers, Cavaliers, Celtics, and Thunder, but most notably, not the Warriors.
Despite the previously major links between Antetokounmpo and Golden State, a trade sending him to team up with Curry does not appear to be happening over the offseason.