The chatter of Giannis Antetokounmpo potentially asking out of the Milwaukee Bucks grew louder entering the 2024-25 season, especially in light of Khris Middleton’s injuries and Damian Lillard‘s fading superstardom.
On the October 22 episode of ESPN’s “First Take,” insiders Brian Windhorst and Shams Charania noted that Antetokounmpo’s future in Milwaukee was the biggest “storyline” and the talking point among executives in the NBA.
In light of the reports, Fadeaway World has proposed a trade that would send Antetokounmpo to the Warriors in exchange for a large haul including Golden State’s’ prized young assets Jonathan Kuminga and Brandin Podziemski.
Warriors would get: Antetokounmpo
Bucks would get: Kuminga, Podziemski, Andrew Wiggins, Trayce Jackson-Davis, 2027 First-Round Pick, 2029 First-Round Pick
Antetokounmpo Fuels Trade Talk
According to Charania, teams around the league “are very closely monitoring” how Antetokounmpo’s situation unfolds in Milwaukee.
Windhorst said he had heard similar murmurs.
“When Shams and I are talking to people in the league, this is what they’re talking about,” Windhorst said on “First Take” on October 22. “They’re talking about what’s going to happen with Giannis. What’s going to happen with the Bucks. How are the Bucks going to be this year? Are they going to be good enough where Giannis is going to stay committed?”
Antetokounmpo brought about the chatter himself when he teased that he could get moved if the 2024-25 campaign doesn’t go to plan. In an interview with The Athletic’s Sam Amick Antetokounmpo jokingly said “(What) if this year doesn’t go well?’ Yeah, if we don’t win a championship, I might get traded. Yeah, this is the job we live. This is the world we’re living in. It’s everybody.”
Warriors Trade Assets Being Protected for Giannis?
One of the theories around the league is that Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. and team ownership resisted trading Kuminga and/or Podziemski for All-Stars such as Paul George and Lauri Markkanen as they were waiting for a true game-changer such as Antetokounmpo, one of the consensus top-three players in the NBA.
The Warriors have internally had their eyes set on Antetokounmpo, the 2021 NBA Finals MVP, for several years, per The Athletic’s Amick.
“One that I think is just always gonna be monitored around the NBA is if the wheels fall off the Bucks,” Amick said on “The TK Show” podcast in September, via EuroHoops. “We know that Joe Lacob has had dreams of Giannis coming the Warriors’ way for a very long time. Again, unlikely, but Khris Middleton is gonna be a free agent next summer… I think Giannis is worth monitoring.”
The Athletic referred to Antetokounmpo as the Warriors’ “dream scenario” in a report in February 2024 soon after they attempted to trade for LeBron James.
Several former NBA players have also urged the Warriors to make the Antetokounmpo -Stephen Curry pairing a reality, in light of the former’s fading title window. Curry turns 37 in March 2025.
“The only way I see Golden State getting back to where they need to get back to is if they can find a way to get Giannis over there,” Celtics legend Paul Pierce said on the August 23 episode of “Ticket & The Truth” podcast.
Antetokounmpo has a player option for the 2027-28 season, meaning he’s under contract for four full seasons with Milwaukee. As such, the Warriors or any other team pursuing him would have to lure the Bucks with a massive haul of assets.
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