The Golden State Warriors are considering a Hail Mary trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo, and now we know what that package might look like.
Golden State is willing to trade all of their available future first-round picks to the Milwaukee Bucks as part of an Antetokounmpo deal, Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo! Sports said this week on an episode of his self-titled podcast. Additionally, the Warriors are willing to add both Jimmy Butler and Jonathan Kuminga in the deal as well.
O’Connor also said that he considers Golden State to be the “frontrunner” right now for the former NBA MVP Antetokounmpo. He notes that the two sides have “mutual interest” and that the Warriors appear to have the strongest trade package to offer to the Bucks.
Butler, who is out for the season thanks to a torn ACL, would simply be contract filler at this point to try and match salaries with Antetokounmpo. But Kuminga, the 23-year-old forward who is making $22.5 million this season with a $24.3 million club option for next season, could have some real value to the Bucks.
That said, the real enticement for Milwaukee here would be the future draft capital. The Warriors own all of their future first-round picks through 2029, have a top-20 protected pick in 2030, and hold their own first-round picks in 2031 and 2032 as well. While Golden State would be barred under the Stepien Rule from trading away first-round picks in consecutive years (meaning that they can only max out at an offer of four picks for Antetokounmpo), those picks could be highly valuable assets given the Warriors’ aging core of Steph Curry, 37, and Draymond Green, 35.
Given the current reality of their roster, Golden State badly needs to maximize their window right now. Earlier in the week, Curry also reacted to the possibility of the Warriors trading for the 10-time All-Star Antetokounmpo.
