{"id":169020,"date":"2025-12-09T09:30:41","date_gmt":"2025-12-09T14:30:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=169020"},"modified":"2025-12-08T22:15:21","modified_gmt":"2025-12-09T03:15:21","slug":"could-warriors-pull-off-giannis-trade","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/12\/09\/could-warriors-pull-off-giannis-trade\/","title":{"rendered":"Could the Warriors Actually Pull Off a Giannis Trade?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Tension is rising around <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/a\/antetgi01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Giannis Antetokounmpo\u2019s<\/a> future as the Warriors face pressure to maximize the final years of <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/c\/curryst01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Stephen Curry\u2019s<\/a> prime.<\/p>\n<p>Antetokounmpo may be the final key for a Warriors team that needs a dramatic shift to remain in championship contention, not just for this season but for the future ahead. A potential move for him would surely send shockwaves across the NBA landscape, and it may not be as unrealistic as it once seemed.<\/p>\n<h2>Could the Warriors Actually Pull Off a Giannis Trade?<\/h2>\n<h3>Why Giannis Might Be Available<\/h3>\n<div>For Warriors fans, the idea of Giannis being linked to Golden State probably feels like deja vu after years of rumours. But this season, it finally looks real.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Antetokounmpo remains one of the league&#8217;s most dominant forces. But the Bucks&#8217; recent struggles have intensified questions about whether the current roster can still compete at the highest level. With a 10-15 record, placed 10th in the East, Milwaukee faces mounting pressure to rethink its long-term direction. Giannis is expected to miss as long as <a  href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/LegionHoops\/status\/1996624036353495129\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">four weeks with a calf injury<\/a>, and with Milwaukee&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/11\/01\/giannis-antetokounmpo-damian-lillard-chemistry\/\" target=\"_self\">poor run of form<\/a>, a trade to the Warriors suddenly feels more plausible than ever.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Is Giannis\u2019 era in Milwaukee nearing its conclusion?<\/div>\n<h3>Why the Warriors Would Pursue Him<\/h3>\n<div>Why wouldn&#8217;t any team pursue Giannis?<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>An 11-time All-Star averaging 29 points this season, the &#8220;Greek Freak&#8221; remains one of the most dominant players in NBA history and arguably the greatest power forward of all time. Right now, the Warriors <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/11\/29\/4-players-the-warriors-must-target-before-the-trade-deadline\/\" target=\"_self\">struggle for consistent inside scoring<\/a>. And there&#8217;s no better player in the league to fill that void. The Dubs currently rank <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.nba.com\/stats\/teams\/misc?sort=PTS_PAINT&amp;dir=-1\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">last in the NBA for points in the paint<\/a>, while Giannis leads the league with an <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.nba.com\/stats\/players\/misc?CF=MIN*GE*10&amp;dir=-1&amp;sort=PTS_PAINT\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">average of 20 points per game.<\/a> He seems like a perfect fit within Steve Kerr&#8217;s system in the Bay.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\n<div>Together with Curry, Antetokounmpo would instantly reshape and transform the Warriors&#8217; offense. Pairing elite three-point shooting with Giannis\u2019 dominant post play would create a dual-threat attack capable of propelling the Warriors back into championship contention. And if this is Curry&#8217;s final push for a fifth championship, a move for Antetokounmpo could represent the most decisive gamble Golden State could make.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<h3>What a Trade Could Actually Look Like<\/h3>\n<div>Any deal for Antetokounmpo would require the Warriors to part with nearly all of their young core. A realistic package begins with <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/k\/kuminjo01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jonathan Kuminga,<\/a> who already <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/11\/23\/jonathan-kuminga-role-declines-warriors-trade-rumors\/\" target=\"_self\">appears to be on the way out<\/a>, along with the pairing of <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/m\/moodymo01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Moses Moody<\/a> and <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/p\/podzibr01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Brandin Podziemski<\/a>. From there, Golden State would need to include multiple unprotected first-round picks and swaps to even get Milwaukee&#8217;s attention.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>However, Dub Nation shouldn&#8217;t expect 35-year-old <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/g\/greendr01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Draymond Green<\/a> to be a part of the trade package. <a  href=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/sports\/nba\/golden-state-warriors\/draymond-green-truth-future-stephen-curry-steve-kerr\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Multiple reports <\/a>indicate that Curry, Green, and head coach Kerr would remain together until retirement.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>So could <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/b\/butleji01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jimmy Butler<\/a> be involved instead? It\u2019s unlikely, especially considering he\u2019s the <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.nba.com\/warriors\/news\/warriors-wrapped-2025\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Warriors\u2019 second-highest<\/a> scorer behind Curry. But with Golden State rapidly running out of answers and their current core failing to produce consistent results, nothing can be fully ruled out.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>In reality, it would be a full-blown Hail Mary for the Warriors to land Giannis. But it\u2019s the kind of dream Dub Nation has always held onto.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h3>But What If It Doesn\u2019t Happen?<\/h3>\n<div>Even if the Warriors miss out on Giannis, the fallout might be far less severe than it seems. Golden State could still find themselves right in the middle of <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.sportingnews.com\/us\/nba\/new-york-knicks\/news\/proposed-three-team-giannis-antetokounmpo-knicks-trade-involves-warriors-9-total-players\/5c1966177c63e6473e7caca6#:~:text=Standings-,Proposed%20three%2Dteam%20Giannis%20Antetokounmpo%2DKnicks%20trade,involves%20Warriors%2C%209%20total%20players&amp;text=In%20a%20rare%20championship%2Dor,bolster%20their%20top%2Dend%20talent.\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">a multi-team trade<\/a>. This allows them to walk away with a valuable piece even without landing Antetokounmpo. Players like <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/k\/kuzmaky01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kyle Kuzma<\/a>, <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/p\/portibo01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Bobby Portis,<\/a> or <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/t\/turnemy01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Myles Turner<\/a> could all become realistic targets for them in a three-team scenario.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>So either way, the Warriors could benefit from the Giannis situation. The pathways may simply look different, but the end goal of fixing key issues and building a winning team remains the same.<\/div>\n<div>\u00a9 Benny Sieu-Imagn Images<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Tension is rising around Giannis Antetokounmpo\u2019s future as the Warriors face pressure to maximize the final years of Stephen Curry\u2019s prime. Antetokounmpo may be the final key for a Warriors team that needs a dramatic shift to remain in championship contention, not just for this season but for the future ahead. A potential move for [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5650,"featured_media":169186,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1608,25,15,62,4721],"tags":[48978,409,306,4297,4176,48],"class_list":["post-169020","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-basketball","category-warriors","category-bucks","category-nba","category-trade-rumors","tag-brandin-podziemski","tag-draymond-green","tag-giannis-antetokounmpo","tag-jonathan-kuminga","tag-moses-moody","tag-stephen-curry"],"modified_by":"Jordan Pagkalinawan","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/169020","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5650"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=169020"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/169020\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":169187,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/169020\/revisions\/169187"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/169186"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=169020"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=169020"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=169020"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}