SHOCKING REVEAL: Giannis Antetokounmpo is ‘secretly’ negotiating with the Warriors!
Stephen Curry congratulates Jonathan Kuminga of the Golden State Warriors during their game against the Boston Celtics at Chase Center on December 19, 2023 in San Francisco, California.
The Golden State Warriors have received good intel that their dream superstar trade is still alive.
According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s future in Milwaukee remains in doubt.
The Milwaukee Bucks superstar is still mulling his options despite the team creatively flipping an injured Damian Lillard into Myles Turner.
“We’re standing here, it’s Aug. 4. Sources tell me there’s still nothing set in stone about whether Giannis Antetokounmpo will stay in Milwaukee or whether he will be leaving,” Charania said on ESPN’s “Get Up” on Aug. 4. “And so, he’s going to continue to evaluate his future.
“I reported it in mid-May that he’s evaluating whether his best fit is in Milwaukee or is it elsewhere. And that process is continuing. There’s been some very real conversations over the past week or so. The constant question that Giannis has, though, is, ‘Can I win a championship with this roster? Is this roster going to be one for this upcoming year and 2026-2027?’ He wants to win a second championship. So, he’s asking that question over and over.”
Charania added that multiple teams are waiting in the wings if Antetokounmpo decides to leave Milwaukee.
One of them is the Warriors.
Warriors Banking on Giannis-Steph Closeness
Antetokounmpo has long been the Warriors’ dream trade target, according to The Athletic.
In May, Sam Amick of The Athletic reported a new wrinkle in the Warriors’ long-standing desire to pair Antetokounmpo with Stephen Curry.
“Antetokounmpo, who has been known to be a dream target of the Warriors for a long time, made a late-night appearance at Curry’s party in San Francisco during All-Star weekend. Warriors officials on hand took (gleeful) notice — including fellow attendee, Golden State owner Joe Lacob. Draymond Green and Kevon Looney were part of the get-together as well,” Amick wrote in The Athletic’s latest roundtable on Antetokounmpo’s uncertain future in Milwaukee, published on May 13.
Amick also noted that Antetokounmpo and Curry are both represented by the same Octagon agency.
Antetokounmpo’s agent is fellow Greek, Alex Saratsis, who joined Octagon in 2009 and is widely credited for the agency’s international clout.
Saratsis also represents Curry’s brother, Seth Curry, an unrestricted free agent who is rumored to be on the Warriors’ radar.
On the other hand, Curry is represented by Jeff Austin, who is the head of Octagon’s basketball division.
“Still, it was a Warriors-centric event with one notable, and very large, exception,” Amick added on Curry’s All-Star party attended by the Bucks star. “And while Golden State is deeply invested in its Jimmy Butler era at the moment, the reality about a player like Antetokounmpo is that his greatness could compel nearly every owner and GM in the league to adjust their plan.”
Why the Warriors Make Sense as Bucks Trade Partner
An Antetokounmpo-Butler one-one-one swap makes the math work, but the Warriors have up to four first-round picks, three of them unprotected, to also dangle if the Bucks pivot to a rebuild.
But the Bucks do not have control of their own draft picks until 2031, which makes rebuilding a tougher path for them should Antetokounmpo seek a trade.
The Warriors can also add restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga, in addition to Butler, to a potential Antetokounmpo deal that will give the Bucks a young player to build on should they flip Butler for more assets down the road.
Alder Almo is a sports journalist covering the NBA for Heavy.com. He has more than 20 years of experience in local and international media, including broadcast, print and digital. He previously covered the Knicks for Empire Sports Media and the NBA for Off the Glass. Alder is from the Philippines and is now based in Jersey City, New Jersey. More about Alder Almo