Warriors Can Make Giannis Trade But Won't Win Bidding War, Brian Windhorst Says

Warriors can make Giannis trade but won't win bidding war, Brian Windhorst says originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Brace yourself for another offseason of Giannis Antetokounmpo-to-the-Warriors trade rumors.

The Milwaukee Bucks star reportedly is “open-minded” about the possibility of exploring moving on from the only NBA franchise he has known, and teams will start lining up to make a run at the two-time NBA MVP if he decides he wants out.

ESPN NBA analyst Brian Windhorst believes there is a pathway to the Warriors acquiring Antetokounmpo but there’s a big BUT involved in any hypothetical trade.

“Yes, there is a package that the Warriors could use,” Windhorst said on “Get Up” on Friday morning. “They have some future draft picks. They have interesting young players. Like last year, Brandon Podziemski was off limits. Who knows if that’s going to be the case this year? But they can’t win a bidding war.

“First off, I just want to say Giannis has not let it be known he certainly wants out of Milwaukee, so I do not think we should assume that. If we do reach that point where Giannis was going to look around, he will have agency in this. He has two years left on his contract. The Bucks don’t have to listen to him. But if he were to come to Milwaukee and say, I want to play with Steph [Curry], there could be a deal worked out. The same would apply, in my view, to the [New York] Knicks or [Los Angeles Lakers], if he says I want to be a Knicks, send me to New York or I want to be a Laker. These are big ifs. Those trades can get worked out. But if it’s just an open market, none of those three teams, in my opinion, could win a bidding war with the Bucks.”

As “Get Up” host Mike Greenberg and analysts Chiney Ogwumike and Jay Williams discussed how Antetokounmpo’s Warriors fit and how the 30-year-old might convey to the Bucks where he wants to go, Windhorst doubled down on his earlier statement.

“If you’re asking, can the Warriors get Giannis?” Windhorst said. “The answer is yes. But, and it’s the but that is going to be a big thing that’s going to define this offseason.”

The Warriors have been linked to Antetokounmpo in previous offseasons, but nothing ever came close to materializing.

Now, with Curry’s NBA title window closing, the Warriors might be inclined to push for Antetokounmpo to get the four-time NBA champion a fifth ring.

As Windhorst alluded to, other NBA teams have more coveted trade assets to send to the Bucks. But if Antetokounmpo tells Milwaukee he only wants to go to the Warriors, the sides must try to work out a deal.

ESPN’s Bobby Marks noted that the Warriors have four tradeable future first-round draft picks in 2026, 2028, 2030 (if picks 1 through 20) and 2032, and Golden State can offer first-round pick swaps in any of the next seven years.

To make the money work, the Warriors almost assuredly would have to include Draymond Green or Jimmy Butler in an Antetokounmpo trade, but Golden State publicly is committing to the core of Curry, Green and Butler.

Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy will have plenty of conversations over the next month leading up to the start of NBA free agency, and things certainly can change.

The Warriors can get a seat at Antetokounmpo’s trade table, but it sounds like he would have to pick them for the sides to finally unite.

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