Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo Could be Massive Trade Target for Warriors: Report

At 21-21 on the year, the 2024-25 Golden State Warriors look to far removed from their mid-2010s prime. Sporting a 36-year-old Stephen Curry, a 34-year-old Draymond Green, plus some disappointing veteran role players and young pieces, the Warriors are currently out of the play-in tournament race as the Western Conference's No. 11 seed.

The team has looked old and slow, having cooled off mightily from a hot start during its first post-Klay Thompson season.

Given how good Curry remains even in his dotage, Golden State has been floated as a possible trade destination for several starry players since the 2024 offseason, including All-Stars Jimmy Butler, Nikola Vucevic and Lauri Markkanen.

Now, it appears the Warriors might have their sites set on keeping most of their assets in reserve through this year's trade deadline, in search of an even starrier blockbuster trade target: eight-time All-NBA Milwaukee Bucks power forward Giannis Antetokounmpo.

As Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN recently detailed on the Worldwide Leader's must-listen basketball podcast "Brian Windhorst & The Hoop Collective," the Warriors are amenable to making a deadline deal this season to improve their outlook heading into the playoffs, but they want to use their best young pieces and future draft equity in a possible summer trade for Antetokounmpo.

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"I understand, I think, where they're coming from," Youngmisuk said. "If you only have so many assets, I'm holding them for whenever a true superstar that is a franchise-altering superstar becomes available to take that swing."

"If you go and give up some of these assets now for a Nikola Vucevic, a Jimmy Butler... if they were to do that, you can't take a swing then, if things go bad in Milwaukee with Giannis this summer," Youngmisuk allowed. "And that is why you have to hold on to your assets to make a run at a guy like that if he becomes available."

Vucevic is having a bounceback year for the 19-25 Bulls. After several down seasons as a shooter, the 6-foot-10 veteran big man is averaging 20.3 points on .554/.411/.809 shooting splits, 10.4 rebounds, and 3.4 assists a night. He would be the first true starting-caliber stretch center to play alongside Curry in the latter's career, and would instantly elevate the Warriors' floor.

Although it's hard to see a Vucevic deal making the Warriors title contenders.

"Because I think Golden State is uniquely positioned for someone like Giannis, because of Steph's friendship with Giannis and Giannis having kind of hinted in the past that the Bay might be intriguing to him with the Warriors. You've got to hold on to your assets for that," Youngmisuk added

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This kind of deal obviously would not be done of Milwaukee's own volition. No, Bucks management's hand would have to be forced by an unhappy Antetokounmpo.

Given the team's willingness to drastically (and probably mistakenly) shake things up in the summer of 2023 by bringing in a new head coach and ditching defense-first lead guard Jrue Holiday in favor of offense-first All-Star Damian Lillard, it seems likely Antetokounmpo has for now been placated by Bucks brass.

But would a third consecutive first round exit change the equation for the 30-year-old superstar, who remains one of the league's best players?

The Bucks are 24-17 on the year (a pretty good recovery from a brutal 2-8 start) and the East's No. 4 seed, just 2.5 games behind the New York Knicks. If they kept this pace, they'd have homecourt advantage for at least one round of the playoffs. Of course, having homecourt advantage hasn't stopped them from a first round elimination in each of the past two seasons.

In 35 contests for the Bucks so far, Antetokoummpo is averaging 31.5 points on 60.5 percent shooting from the field and 58.7 percent shooting from the foul line, 12.0 rebounds and 6.0 assists a night.

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