When Bob Myers was still the GM of the Golden State Warriors, we would get regular reports of how badly he and owner Joe Lacob wanted to pair Giannis Antetokounmpo and Stephen Curry. It made sense. The inside-outside duo would create a nightmare matchup for defenses everywhere, while Giannis’ defense would allow the Warriors to build an on-court equivalent to Fort Knox. Unfortunately, the closest we ever got was a lob from Curry to Giannis in an All-Star game.
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That is, until now. The Milwaukee Bucks superstar is reportedly assessing his future in Milwaukee and may request a trade to a new team. While the Warriors likely don’t have the assets to make a move work, they would certainly try.
Within The Athletic‘s deep dive article on Giannis’ situation lies a hint of what could come. One singular paragraph stood out more than any other.
“Antetokounmpo, who has been known to be a dream target of the Warriors for a long time, made a late-night appearance at Curry’s party in San Francisco… ” wrote Sam Amick, “Warriors officials on hand took notice — including fellow attendee, Golden State owner Joe Lacob. Draymond Green and Kevon Looney were part of the get-together as well.”
The party in San Francisco happened privately as part of All-Star Weekend. Giannis’ appearance is significant, not just in a vacuum but in context as well. During the weekend, Antetokounmpo and his agent were in lockstep. Why is the agent important here? Well…
“Giannis and Steph, it should be noted, are both represented by the same Octagon agency … And while Golden State is deeply invested in its Jimmy Butler era at the moment, the reality about a player like Antetokounmpo is that his greatness could compel nearly every owner and GM in the league to adjust their plan.”
Even with the shared relationship and past meetings, any Warriors trade for Giannis evaporates when you consider just the caliber of package it would take to acquire a player of his ilk. The deal would need to include Jimmy Butler or Draymond Green, Buddy Hield, and Moses Moody just for the financials to work. Brandin Podziemski and first-round picks would be required.
It’s not a realistic package by any means, but crazier things have happened. A year ago, Karl-Anthony Towns was a Minnesota Timberwolf and Luka Doncic was a Dallas Maverick.
