According to ESPN’s Anthony Slater, the Golden State Warriors have discussed with the Milwaukee Bucks “whether they would be willing to make a substantial offer for Giannis Antetokounmpo before the February 5 trade deadline,” including as many as five first-round picks.
The Warriors own unprotected first-round picks in 2026, 2028 and 2032, plus a top-20 pick in 2030 (if the Washington Wizards drop from 21 to 30) and a first-round pick swap.
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The Bucks have expressed interest in 23-year-old Jonathan Kuminga since this summer, and 22-year-old Brandin Pozzimski “could also help facilitate that process,” Slater reported. Jimmy Butler’s contract will pay him $56.8 million next season and will almost certainly need to match any offer from Antetokounmpo.
In fact, Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix reports that the Warriors have told the Bucks that Antetokounmpo would be eligible for similar treatment, even before ESPN’s Shams Charania reported on Wednesday that the two-time NBA MVP was “ready to move to a new home.”
This is the first of several detailed “aggressive offers” to the Bucks.
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Why might Milwaukee be interested? First of all, Kuminga is an outstanding talent who can average 20 points per game and can do it in the playoffs. There are questions about whether he can do that for a winning team, as the Warriors have benched him long-term even though they need a wing contributor who fits his exact description.
There are certainly more attractive young players on the market than Kuminga or Podemski. For example, the Houston Rockets have made an offer to either Alperon Cengun or Amen Thompson, although the extent of their interest in moving either player is unclear.
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However, those picks – the last of which will fall when Golden State’s Stephen Curry turns 44 – are very tempting. Knowing Antetokounmpo will be around 30 years old for much of this stretch makes them less attractive, but that’s also true for most interested teams.
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The Atlanta Hawks, on the other hand, control a better pick in the upcoming June draft between Milwaukee and the New Orleans Pelicans, which may be better than anything the Warriors can offer. Atlanta also has more talented young players than Kuminga.
We don’t know yet how aggressive the Eagles will get.
It’s even more obvious why the Warriors wanted this deal. This is a chance to pair Antetokounmpo with Curry, another two-time MVP. When Antetokounmpo shares the floor with sharpshooter AJ Green, the Bucks outscore their opponents by 9.9 points per 100 possessions. Imagine what the Golden State Warriors could do with Curry in place of Green.
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It’s unclear how Antetokounmpo would react to playing in Golden State, but if his past actions and comments are any indication — he selected Stephen Curry first overall in the All-Star draft — he’d clearly welcome the chance to play with him again.
The Warriors’ motivation for making such a bold move — one that would severely limit their flexibility moving forward — became apparent after Butler tore his ACL in his right knee. Because of this injury, the Golden State Warriors no longer have any chance of playing again in the Curry era, save for a Hail Mary.
This is the Hail Mary. As Warriors executive Mike Dunleavy told reporters after Butler’s injury, “If there’s a great player, we’ve got everything we’re willing to use.” Whether the Bucks are convinced is another matter.
