The Giannis Antetokounmpo to Warriors rumors are set to intensify as the 2024-25 season approaches its February 6, 2025 deadline.
On November 3, NBA insider Marc Stein mentioned the Warriors as among four teams, including the Knicks, Nets and Heat, as prime suitors for the two-time MVP if and when he requests a trade from the Milwaukee Bucks.
In light of the Antetokounmpo to Warriors trade rumors, here are two mock trades that are legally possible under the NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement.
It should be noted that DeAnthony Melton cannot be traded until December 15, and Moses Moody cannot be moved until the end of the 2024-25 season. As such, those players are not in any outgoing packages to the Bucks in deals for Antetokounmpo.
Package Built on Kuminga & Podz
Warriors would get: Giannis Antetokounmpo
Bucks would get: Jonathan Kuminga, Brandin Podziemski, Andrew Wiggins, Kyle Anderson, Lindy Waters III, 2025 first-round pick (unprotected), 2028 first-round pick (unprotected)
The Warriors hesitated to move Kuminga and/or Podziemski, their two prized young stars, in trades for Paul George and Lauri Markkanen in the 2024 offseason. But Antetokounmpo, a two-time NBA MVP and NBA Champion, is a player in a different tier, and the type the Warriors could be willing to sell the farm for.
Blue Man Hoop’s Peter O’Keefe argued that Podz would be sacrificed to give Stephen Curry a running mate of “The Greek Freak’s” caliber.
“Golden State were unwilling to give up Brandin Podziemski in a deal for Markkanen during the offseason, but he would surely be sacrificed if it meant acquiring Antetokounmpo,” he wrote on November 3. “The second-year guard has had a strange start to the [2024-25] season — he’s not shooting the ball well, but his ability to impact remains as showcased by the fact he leads the entire league in plus-minus.”
Parting With Draymond Green
This is probably the most unlikely scenario, considering Draymond Green’s ties with the Warriors and Curry, but one that could attract a Bucks team that isn’t in a rebuild. Green, a four-time NBA champion and one-time Defensive Player of the Year, would instantly solve a ton of the Bucks’ defensive issues and hold the team accountable with his leadership intangibles.
For the Warriors, the idea of both Green and Antetokounmpo is enticing on the defensive side but could present challenges on offense with neither being a good long-range shooter. But the plus side of this mock trade is they get to retain Podziemski and only part with Kuminga, and they add a solid big man in Bobby Portis.
Warriors would get: Antetokounmpo, Bobby Portis
Bucks would get: Green, Kuminga, Wiggins, Waters III, 2025 first-round pick (unprotected), 2028 first-round pick (unprotected)
Antetokounmpo, Curry Need Each Other
Antetokounmpo and Curry have struggled to remain in NBA title contention since their title runs in 2021 and 2022, respectively. Both superstars are facing situations where either their teams are getting older or injury-prone, or just haven’t been able to keep up with rising powerhouses in both conferences. As such, a union of Antetokounmpo and Curry could be just what the doctor ordered for both stars to pursue another title or two. Curry, is especially working with a short window as he turns 37 in March 2025.
“The idea of pairing one of the greatest interior forces in NBA history with the greatest outside shooter of all-time is a tantalizing one for many Golden State fans,” O’Keefe wrote on November 3. “Antetokounmpo was viewed as the ‘dream’ trade target for the Warriors in a report from The Athletic in February, and the franchise’s inability to acquire either George or Markkanen leaves them still in position to pursue a different blockbuster move.
“Trading for Antetokounmpo would be akin to landing Kevin Durant in the free agency of 2016, albeit it would require mortgaging a lot in the way of players and future assets,” If the Warriors want to give Stephen Curry the best shot at a fifth NBA championship, this might be the emerging pathway to making it happen.”
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2 Realistic Giannis Antetokounmpo to Warriors Trades