Latest Report Crushes Warriors' Dreams of Landing Giannis

The Golden State Warriors had interest in acquiring Giannis Antetokounmpo at the trade deadline, and there have been conflicting reports on how much interest the Bucks had in their potential offer.

The latest report from ESPN's Shams Charania suggests the Warriors were never close to landing him.

Charania wrote that "the Bucks' criteria" for a package were "a young blue-chip talent and/or a surplus of draft picks." Though the Warriors didn't have a "young blue-chip talent," they did have a surplus of picks, so it's possible the Bucks considered engaging the Warriors on a package that included four unprotected first-round picks.

But Charania didn't mention that the Bucks had serious interest in that. Instead, he reported that the Bucks almost accepted Miami's package.

"Team sources said the Bucks seriously considered the Heat's offer, which centered on Tyler Herro, Kel'el Ware, other players and multiple draft picks and pick swaps. Milwaukee contemplated moving forward with Miami on Feb. 4. Ownership, however, believed the best move would be to hold on to Antetokounmpo and receive better offers in the summer."

Charania also reported on Antetokounmpo's thinking last summer when general manager Jon Horst and head coach Doc Rivers had to sell Antetokounmpo on Milwaukee's roster.

"After back-and-forth discussions -- including a meeting in Antetokounmpo's native Greece in late July after which the New York Knicks became the only team he'd play for other than Milwaukee -- and the Bucks refusing to move him, Antetokounmpo agreed to give the new roster a chance to grow."

We now know the Bucks did not surround Antetokounmpo with enough talent, as they are 31-47. But for the Warriors' purposes, the most important part of that Charania paragraph is Antetokounmpo's desire to play for the Knicks.

Who knows if his thinking has changed since last summer, but it's not a good sign for the Dubs that a) the Bucks seemingly liked Miami's potential offer more than Golden State's, b) Antetokounmpo seemingly prefers to play in New York over the Bay Area and c) the Bucks are holding out for a better offer that the Warriors can't match this offseason.

It all signals that the Warriors' dreams of landing Antetokounmpo are crushed for good.

Warriors Have Better Chance at Landing Kawhi or LeBron

The San Francisco Standard's Tim Kawakami reported that the Warriors "were close" to trading for Clippers star Kawhi Leonard at the trade deadline. Leonard has one year left on his contact after this season (assuming his contract doesn't get voided), and the Clippers could consider selling after they dealt James Harden and Ivica Zubac at the trade deadline.

There's been speculation all season that the Lakers and LeBron James will part ways this offseason. The Lakers could have about $50 million in cap space if they let James walk, and they have to be thinking about surrounding Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves with pieces that better fit.

If James became a free agent, the most the Warriors could sign him for is the non-taxpayer mid-level exception worth about $15 million. That would be a massive pay cut for the four-time champ, but he might not have many better options. For example, the team he's most linked to, the Cavaliers, probably won't have cap space to offer him more than $15 million.

There are other options too, such as the Nets' Michael Porter Jr. or the Pelicans' Trey Murphy III, though there is no smoke about the Warriors going after them at this point.

It's not clear who the Warriors will pursue the most, but what is clear is the Warriors need to make a big move to be a contender next season.

Expect the Dubs to be serious players for a big fish this offseason.