After Giannis Antetokounmpo went down with a non-contact calf injury in last Wednesday night's game against the Atlanta Hawks, rumors surrounding his future with the Milwaukee Bucks have fluttered around the league.
There are only a select few teams in the association that can improve their team, remain financially stable, and have the right pieces to acquire the Greek Freak. One of those teams is the Golden State Warriors.
If the rumors are true and Giannis did request a trade, then the Bucks would be forced to think about pairing Antetokounmpo with Stephen Curry in Golden State.
The package to acquire Giannis is simpler than you would think, and Christopher Kline of Fansided lays it out perfectly.
“The Golden State Warriors' cleanest path to a Giannis trade is packaging Jimmy Butler with a couple young pieces and a handful of draft assets. This is probably a nightmare outcome for Butler after all the fuss he made to get out of Miami and to a contender, but the NBA is a business,” Kline said Wednesday.
“On paper, Golden State has the NBA's foremost off-ball shooter and its foremost downhill scorer — a potent combo. Giannis and Steph should work beautifully out of various two-man actions.”
In the hypothetical trade, Milwaukee would take on Jimmy Butler, Brandin Podziemski, Will Richard, and two first-round picks. Golden State would take Gary Harris’ contract along with Giannis.
This would immediately put Golden State into a different conversation. Although it may seem unlikely, the team is clearly looking to make a run in the playoffs. With Curry and the rest of the team getting no younger, the Warriors' front office may be forced into a win-now trade.
If this does come true, the duo of Giannis and Steph has the potential to be a top ten team-up of all time.
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