After a decade of dominance, the Golden State Warriors‘ core rotation is entering the final stages of their careers. Yet, unlike most organizations, the Warriors are looking to keep their championship-winning rotation intact as they look to squeeze every ounce of success out of their star trio. However, Golden State’s desire to roll with the status quo could be tested if a genuine top-5 player became available.
It would seem we’re already seeing the first hints of a wandering eye from Mike Dunleavy and Joe Lacob. According to ESPN, the Warriors are among a handful of teams that are keeping close tabs on Giannis Antetokounmpo’s current situation with the Milwaukee Bucks.
“A few preliminary teams, who, at the very least, will be watching this situation closely, could include the New Orleans Pelicans, Toronto Raptors, Brooklyn Nets, New York Knicks and Golden State Warriors, according to Zach Lowe and Ramona Shelburne during a recent episode of the Lowe Post podcast,” ESPN reported. “Each of those teams has a combination of intriguing young players and valuable draft picks available that could be packaged in the kind of trade it would theoretically take to land Antetokounmpo.”
Giannis is a two-time MVP firmly in the prime of his career. If Golden State believes the dominant forward would potentially team up with Steph Curry in the Bay Area, they would be wise to explore what a potential trade package would look like. Although, almost every team in the NBA will likely have a similar thought process.
Giannis has recently noted how he won’t re-sign with the Bucks unless the front office and his teammates match his desire for more championships. Golden State could arguably offer Giannis his best route back to the NBA Finals; however, they will likely need to play the waiting game to see whether Giannis requests a trade at the end of the upcoming season.