The Golden State Warriors know a bit about taking on depressed assets, especially ones that are coming in after completely torching their relationship with their previous team. Heck, that can stretch all the way back to Baron Davis, who was brought to Golden State after he forced his way out of New Orleans in 2005 for the low cost of Speedy Claxton and a 35-year-old Dale Davis. It was repeated last year, two decades later, when Jimmy Butler wanted out of Miami and landed with the Warriors.
Now, the Warriors are hoping for a bit more luck on the disgruntled star front, with Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks apparently ready to hit the market in earnest. That’s because it appears that the Bucks want to pick their lane on Antetokounmpo in the coming weeks, and after a season in which the star and the organization were frequently and publicly at odds.
That process could, in fact, start this weekend.
Giannis Antetokounmpo to Be Traded Before NBA Draft?
That’s because the Warriors, like the rest of the league, now know for sure that the Bucks want to get Antetokounmpo’s situation settled by the NBA draft.
That’s straight from the horse’s mouth, or in this case, Haslam’s mouth. The Bucks, as part of a remake after firing coach Doc Rivers, hired Taylor Jenkins as the new coach, and Haslam says they want to have a plan in place for the team they’re giving to Jenkins within the next eight weeks. That means GM Jon Horst is working the phones.
Said Haslam: “I just think before the draft is a natural time because, you know, if Giannis does play somewhere else, we ought to get a lot of assets, and that’s Jon (Horst)’s job to do. And if he is here then you build the team differently. So, I think that’s all I am gonna say. I just want to stress that our relationship with him despite what is reported by certain ESPN writers is very positive.
“It’s a big one, and you’ve got to get it right. Jon knows it and Wes (Edens) knows it. And we did not hold back with Taylor, we said to him straight up, he may or may not be with us, so don’t come because of that. You want to be straight up with people.”
Warriors Have Obstacles to a Deal
Even if Antetokounmpo is put on the market, though, there will be obstacles in the way before the Warriors could land him. The first is Antetokounmpo himself, who has two lines of resistance to coming to the Bay Area–he would prefer to go to a younger team that is a more ready-made contender, and he is said to be reluctant to play on the West Coast.
The Warriors can’t do anything about either of those obstacles. Nor can they do much about this weekend’s NBA draft lottery, which will be held Sunday in Chicago. But Antetokounmpo is willing to work with the Bucks on a trade that makes sense for all parties, and if the Warriors get lottery luck–if they can move into the Top 4 from their current No. 11 spot–they might well be front-runners for a Giannis deal.
It’s a lot of ifs and a lot of obstacles. But the Warriors should know where they stand soon.
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